Need innovative ideas to cut healthcare costs: expert

‘Low-cost medical devices must be accessible to all’

IFMBE is trying to cut healthcare costs by encouraging local manufacturing, says its president Shankar M. Krishnan.

Prof. Shankar M. Krishnan, president of International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), called for improvements in low-cost diagnosis of various health ailments and accountability in the health sector.

Mr. Krishnan, an international authority on medical devices who flew in from Houston to participate in the three-day WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices, told The Hindu that ethical issues should be addressed with priority.

He said IFMBE was striving to make medical devices accessible to people from all walks of life. The Singapore World Congress in 2021 would deliberate on the role of biomedical and health informatics, he said.

Mr Krishnan said out-of-the box ideas were bringing about improvements in healthcare.

“In the past, artificial intelligence and smartphones were unthinkable. Over the years, due to creative ideas, lifestyles are changing,” he said.

WHO, IFMBE, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone and other organisations are trying to cut costs of healthcare and medical devices by encouraging local manufacturing and adopting innovative ideas, he said.

Referring to nano-technology, he said trials are under way for implanting artificial pancreas and popularising use of 3-D printing for accurate diagnosis of bone issues. Trial on implantable insulin pumps was also a revolutionary step in effective management of diabetes, he said.

Role of nano-technology

Underlining the need for continuous monitoring of hypertension and diabetes through innovative ideas, Mr. Krishnan said Point-of-Care Testing devices have become a part of diagnosing and monitoring various ailments.

He said nano-technology plays a key role in PoC Testing devices in reducing cost of diagnosis and accuracy in results leading to timely intervention.

He said introduction of smart watches have led to diagnosis of multiple problems like heartbeat, blood pressure and pulse rate on a continuous basis. Increase in mobile network would also ensure specialist healthcare in rural and remote areas through tele-medicine.