All for Health & Health for All.
Platforms and Health Management
Thanks for your love and affection. Back after a break but here for good now.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2023.
I hope you and yours are well!
Welcome to the new world of Platform Driven Health Care interventions. It is time to tackle the most important and least digitally transformed industry through tech-enabled platforms leveraging core competencies to provide healthcare access to all. During the Covid19 pandemic, we saw FaceBook opening up its tech for developing strategies for Covid19 research, as well as Google and Apple coordinating to create an OS-level integration for contact tracing apps of Public Health Authorities across the world. This issue focuses on using technology to deliver preventive and curative healthcare interventions.
AND If you were forwarded this weekly dose of Running Platform Marketing Life by a friend, please do not forget to subscribe ASAP to get it in your inbox every week to enjoy your Sunday Long Read.
DTW
During the Week, India crossed a significant milestone towards Universal Health Coverage - 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres operationalized.
According to government records, Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) are transforming the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services, which are universally free and cater to all age groups from birth to death, through a continuum of care approach. Ensuring the reach of healthcare services to the innermost regions of the nation through various initiatives, AB-HWCs have surpassed 8.5 teleconsultations via e-Sanjeevni, where nearly 4 lakh teleconsultations take place daily.
Digital Health Platforms, including the “public good” like Cowin, have the potential to leverage network effects on either the same side or even the cross side. Platforms can provide value through three types of interfaces- First, Health Service delivered at home; Second, health care management at service facilities and Third, health care online or through teleconsultation. . You can read more about Platforms and Health in this link.
New-age online B2B marketplaces like MedikaBazaar have brought medical establishments and suppliers together. This has upended the traditional incumbents but has made the smaller MSME far more accessible to sizeable medical supply buyers. Similarly, we have started seeing more collaboration between various tech platforms like Amazon, Google, and Apple to make their devices more compatible and thus increase interoperability across platforms, thereby increasing the network effects. COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium aims to bring the power of big tech together to provide a range of computing services and expertise that can enhance and accelerate the research for fighting COVID-19.
Platforms like WebMD have enabled information access, and discovery platforms like Practo have made search and review of medical professionals for health seekers. Thousands of data points from millions of patients have been used for creating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning platforms. They are used to assess risk, diagnose, and offer more effective treatments. Models are made using homogenous health data from richer socio-economic groups; thus, using them with under-represented disadvantaged minorities may be perilous. Of course, side effects like self-medication or anxiety caused by fake information have put some of these platforms in a tight spot.
Despite BigTech dominance, D2C health brands are driven by two major and related trends- Insights & Accountability AND Privacy & Stigma. Technology tools have been able to help users, and D2C health brands gather more insights and present the data to ensure accountability, as seen through better adherence to the treatment protocols. Many enterprises are getting into the D2C health brands space through an acquisition route, specifically the House of Brands approach.
We have had amazing insights about D2C Health Brands over two sessions of MountainSpeak. If you missed the sessions with Saurav Panda and Saloni Anand, you could watch the recorded conversation about Mars by GHC and Traya in the respective links.
OTW
Over the Weekend, we spent some quality time with friends and family to bid goodbye to 2022 and welcome 2023.
Here is wishing you more laughter and happiness from all of us.
We wish you health, wealth, quality time with loved ones, and the ability to appreciate all three.
I Love You.
Shailendra
PS- I have often suggested many of you start writing or even your substack, and perhaps the new year could be a good time to start one finally.
OMW
Other Missed Weekends included the first Sunday of December, where we hosted the seventh edition of Peerancheruvu Runners Anniversary Run on 4th December 2022. Seeing more than 700 runners and volunteers come together for our annual running festival was heartening.
Run. Spread the Spirit.
Thanks to Samavesh for their awesome live performance and ICFAI Bz School Runners for joining us for the PBEL City Hyderabad Winer Half 2022.
Welcome back :)