Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 30 (ANI): The 13th International Health Dialogue began in Hyderabad on Friday, drawing over 5,200 in-person delegates and 27,000 online participants to discuss the future of global healthcare. Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospital, Dr Sangeetha Reddy, described the event as a 'confluence of ideas' that brought together doctors, technologists, administrators, biohackers, and health ministers from five countries to discuss the future transformation of healthcare.

'We're here at International Health Dialogues. It's a confluence of ideas of some of the greatest minds. We have doctors, technologists, biohackers, administrators and even health ministers from five different countries. It's a tremendous gathering over 5,200 people are physically here in Hyderabad and then there's another 27,000 people online who have logged in and continue to add on,' Dr Reddy told ANI.

During the event, she also highlighted a major shift in caregiving models, noting that responsibility is gradually shifting from hospitals to clinics, home-based care, and individuals, enabled by artificial intelligence and digital knowledge.

'One of the biggest thoughts is that the responsibility of healthcare is now shifting. The overall caregiving is moving from the hospital to the clinics to standalone doctors but then going to home care and primarily being driven by the individual who is empowered by knowledge using AI. So this is one big shift,' added Dr Reddy.

The Joint Managing Director further pointed out that while the world spends nearly 10 per cent of its collective GDP on healthcare, around 4.2 billion people still lack access to quality medical services. She mentioned that the topics of rising mental health challenges, ageing populations, physician burnout and nursing shortages were also discussed in the event.

'It is also estimated that the world is spending approximately 10 per cent of its entire collective GDP on healthcare and yet everybody does not have care. Approximately 4.2 billion people are denied complete access to good quality care whether it's primary or high-end tertiary. The burden of mental illness is increasing. The burden of ageing, adding more stress onto healthcare systems, physician burnout, and nursing shortages are all becoming part of the dialogue,' said Dr Reddy.

Despite these concerns, she expressed optimism that technology can help bridge gaps in care delivery by enabling doctors to find cures for more patients.

'But there is a sense of positivity that by embedding technology into this, we can find ways to assist doctors in curing more people. We can do task shifting so that nurses and even non-clinical people can assist in the overall care delivery and the continuum of care,' said Dr Reddy.

However, she emphasised that, despite the evolution of Technology, qualities such as empathy and the 'human touch' will remain central to the healthcare system.

'It's an important two days happening at Hyderabad. Steps towards the improvement of healthcare from precision medicine to biohacking to the embedding of AI, but also the beautiful conversations around empathy, around keeping the human in the loop because while technology is important, it is the human hand and the human touch and the human heart which is going to rule healthcare forevermore,' asserted Dr Reddy.

The 13th International Health Dialogue is being held at the HICC Novotel Convention Centre in Hyderabad. The theme of the event is 'Global Voices, One Vision.'

The two-day event, held from January 30 to 31, explores how innovation and emerging technologies can transform healthcare while enhancing patient safety and quality. (ANI)