Six months after the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) in India has set up a center of excellence for the internet of things (CoE-IoT) in Gurugram, the innovation hub has partnered with GE Healthcare to bring digital healthcare solutions to market.
Nasscom CoE-IoT announced the partnership at the 5th Lifesciences & Healthcare Innovation Forum (LHIF) in New Delhi on April 30, 2019.
“The industry has been rapidly adopting new-age technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve access and outcomes. The healthtech sector is committed to connect doctors and patients, providing low-cost medical devices along with tech-enabled diagnostics,” NASSCOM said in a media statement.
The partnership is expected to help GE Healthcare tap the flourishing healthtech start-up ecosystem in the country to co-create solutions for real-world healthcare challenges.
It will also help the two partners work with policymakers in the government/administration to shape policies around digital health.
Nasscom is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPM industries in India. The CoE-IoT is now India’s largest deep-tech Innovation hub for start-ups that provides a platform for collaborative innovation.
According to Nasscom, there are over 40 start-ups, employing over 250 innovators that are building solutions in healthcare, sports, domestic appliances, industrial safety, predictive maintenance and various others at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Vizag.
The CoE IoT in Bangalore has incubated 50+ start-ups while the CoE-IoT in Gurugram has incubated several start-ups and is working with the Haryana government to digitalize the drought management system, for timely prediction of drought.
GE Healthcare, on the other hand, has a $19-billion healthcare business providing medical imaging, monitoring, biomanufacturing, and cell and gene therapy technologies.
“The future of healthcare is shaping up in front of our eyes mainly through digital technologies, such as the IoT, artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D-printing, robotics or nanotechnology,” Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom said.
“In medicine and healthcare, digital technology can help transform unsustainable healthcare systems into sustainable ones, equalize the relationship between medical professionals and patients, provide cheaper, faster and more effective solutions for diseases,” he added.
Dileep Mangsuli, Chief Technology Officer, GE Healthcare South Asia, affirmed that digital solutions help drive access to better quality healthcare, significantly reduce cost of treatment, and improve the quality of health outcomes.
“We need an ecosystem of partners with whom we can work to supplement the work already underway at our research centers,” he said.
Things are currently looking up in India for emerging technologies. Last month. FutureIoT reported that AI and IoT account for over 50% of Indian patent applications in the United States. Meanwhile, a new software policy is aimed at developing IoT, other emerging technologies.
The healthcare sector is equally robust. The National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency (Invest India) estimates the healthcare industry in India to reach $372 billion by 2022.
