Experts discussed evolving challenges and solutions for India's health sector, focusing on heart disease, cancer treatment, and health misinformation, at this year’s Health of India Summit held in New Delhi on December 3.

Madhukar K. Bhagat, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted the pressing challenges in India's healthcare sector, including the spread of health misinformation, rising cancer and dengue cases, and antimicrobial resistance. 

"We must leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) while protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)," Bhagat said, stressing that AI adoption is crucial for the growth of the healthcare sector.

The "Health Misinformation Vectors in India" report, unveiled at the summit, flagged AI and emerging diseases like Marburg virus and Mpox as looming threats in spreading health misinformation. It also warned of a growing reluctance toward conventional medicine as a concerning trend.

‘Heart disease has become secular’

Dr. C.N. Manjunath, member parliament and Director Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Research,  said the heart disease, once considered a condition of the elite, has now affected populations across rural and working-class communities.

 "Heart disease has become secular," Dr. Manjunath said, explaining the shift in its demographic.

He also discussed “the stress factor”, calling it a public health crisis comparable to the dangers posed by tobacco.

Panelists in the session on heart disease suggested the need for a national strategy to improve access to healthcare services. Among their recommendations was improving the infrastructure such as the availability of cath labs and heart hospitals, and a mandatory exercise mission to combat the rising prevalence of heart disease.

Dr. Hemant Madan, Senior Consultant, Director and Regional Clinical Lead Cardiology (North) Narayana health  said the rise in diabetes and smoking, have negated the biological protection women once had from heart disease. He also called for a national exercise mission to address the growing concern.

JACS Rao, CEO, State Medicinal Plants Board, Chhattisgarh discussed the significant progress made in both synthetic and natural medicine in his speech on Integrating Herbal Medicine into Modern Healthcare. 

"It is important to integrate different systems of medicine to benefit humanity," Rao said, calling for a synthesis between modern and traditional practices.

AI in Healthcare 

The session on AI in Healthcare featured Rietesh Mittal, head of strategy and customer and success,  who focused on the potential of AI in diagnosis. 

Dr. Sushil K. Meher IT Head, AIIMS, stressed the importance of good-quality data for achieving accurate AI results in healthcare, while Dr. Bharat Aggarwal, Principal Director, Radiology, Max Hospital urged for the judicious use of AI, just as with any other technology.

Dr. Rajat Goyal praised the proactive approach of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in tackling COVID-19, particularly through establishing large cohorts and disease surveillance. He acknowledged ICMR’s efforts in managing public health responses effectively.

Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, Dean and Head Centre for Virus Research, Vaccine and Therapeutics BRIC THSTI acknowledged the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic but added that creating the vaccine was not as difficult as it seemed. Dr. Taruna Madan, scientist G and Head, Development Research Division ICMR,  pointed out the Prime Minister's initiative on pandemic preparedness, which includes “military style exercises” aimed at strengthening India’s response to future health crises. 

Cancer conundrum

The session ‘Cancer Conundrum, How To Tackle Rising Cancer Cases in India’ highlighted recent advances in the disease’s care.

Urvashi Prasad, former Director, NITI Aayog and herself a cancer survivor, shared her experience of being diagnosed with a rare form of Stage 4 lung cancer, despite being a non-smoker. 

"The shock my family went through was profound," she said, advocating the importance of addressing mental health and palliative care for cancer patients from the day one. 

The panelists called for the need for greater awareness about early cancer detection and the damaging impact of misinformation on patients.

Health misinformation

A discussion on ‘Health Matters, Fact Matters: Tackling Health Misinformation’, centered around the critical need for media literacy, particularly in the digital age. Dr. Farhat Mantoo, Executive Director, MSF South Asia, Dr. Shalini Narayanan, author and media educator, and Sarita Jadav, National Programme  Officer, UNESCO, stressed the need to combat misconceptions fueled by influencers like myths surrounding HIV transmission and bodybuilding protein powders.

Gita Prakash, general physician and ex-army veteran, said that while the internet can offer information, it will not replace professional medical advice and doctors. 

Dr. Divleen Jeji from Google Health discussed the role of platforms like Google in addressing misinformation. 

"We are actively working with policymakers, the WHO, and ministries of information to tackle these issues," Jeji said. She hailed Australia’s ban on children under 16 from using social media calling for their replication in India.

‘Masks can block 95% of pollution's impact’

Dr. Nikhil Modi from the Department Of Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, spoke about the ongoing issue of air pollution. 

"We have been battling the menace of pollution for the past 15 years, yet the issue has not been addressed," Dr. Modi said. He said that air quality in most cities never drops below an AQI of 100 warning the pollution we face will have long-term health consequences. 

“Masks could mitigate up to 95% of pollution’s impact,” Dr Modi added.

Rajit Sengupta, Associate Editor of Down to Earth, provided a global perspective on air pollution, saying, "99% of the world’s population lives in areas with unsafe air quality levels."  He called for a better public transportation system to reduce emissions.

Also read: AI-fueled health misinformation, infectious diseases and natural remedy myths cause of concern: report - First Check