siliconindia | | October 20208IN MY OPINIONBy Kamal Narayan Omer, CEO, Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council HOW HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY IS CHANGING IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PANDEMICfter five months into the pandemic, it is evident that the crisis has also brought changes, forced by the infectious nature of the virus and lockdown to control its spread. Some of these changes were long overdue; however, some of the changes, such as social distancing norms, increased focus on hygiene and sanitization, etc. have increased the list of regulatory norms to adhere to. There is no vaccine or medicine for coronavirus yet, which makes it likely that these changes are going here to stay.Continuity Is The Name Of The GameThe sudden nature of the coronavirus pandemic abruptly disrupted the nor-mal flow of healthcare management and delivery. Hospitals ceased OPD operations, elective surgeries were put on hold and managing chronic diseases became a challenge as pa-tients feared getting an infection in the hospital setting and many could not access transport needed to go to a hospital in case of an emergency. Without an alternative, this could have meant innumerable deaths and aggravated disease conditions. As a result, hospitals were impelled to bring in methods to address the con-cerns of their patients. Few of them are going to stand the test of time.Telemedicine and digital health-care delivery: Though the first tele-medicine facility was launched in AKamal started his career as a journalist with leading English newspaper Hindustan Times. He later worked with leading wire agencies United News of India and Press Trust of India where he reported on a wide series of sensitive subjects including the dismal reach of healthcare among Indian masses. His time in journalism also aroused in him a deep interest in the large and rapidly changing field of communication.Kamal Narayan Omer,CEO
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