In her virtual address at the Mint Healthcare Summit 2023, Arora stressed the importance of health insurance policies and said “every individual needs to have healthcare insurance.” Many people do not keep aside funds for their medical needs even as they spend on buying cars and houses. What they need is mediclaim to meet their needs when they are unwell, she said. Healthcare insurance premiums have become so costly that the middle-class and poor people are struggling to get insurance coverage, she added.

Arora also emphasized the government’s initiatives taken to promote healthcare and said its flaghsip scheme Ayushman Bharat can redefine healthcare in the country. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is a national public health insurance scheme that aims to provide free access to health insurance coverage for low-income earners in the country, she added. Arora, however, criticized the bigger hospitals in the country for not adopting the scheme. Also, since the quantum of insurance cover under the scheme is lower, a lot of people hesitate from choosing this scheme. 

“The government is trying to do its best. People have to change their attitude. Ayushman Bharat doesn’t have to change, our corporate mindset has to change to help the poor segment,” Arora added.

Launched in 2018, PM-JAY offers free health cover of up to ₹5 lakh to over 107.4 million poor and vulnerable families (about 500 million beneficiaries), with free and cashless treatment through a network of private (15,000) and government (12,000) empanelled hospitals across the country.

Arora also spoke about the benefits of adopting artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. Many hospitals have adopted robotics to assist in surgeries. “Robotic surgery is very helpful, especially where it concerns critical cases. Patients are discharged the very next day after a robotics surgery. Recovery is fast and there is minimal blood loss. Our rate of success is very high when it comes to robotics surgery,” she said.

She also emphasized the importance of genomics and how it helps in understanding the genetic disorders passed down generations, future problems caused by this and how these can be overcome.

Arora also touched upon her vision of creating a digital hospital with focus on digital interaction between doctors and patients but cautioned that technology should not be allowed to take away the emotional connect that one has with doctors. “Go for technology but with a human touch,” Arora said

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Updated: 29 Nov 2023, 06:42 PM IST