PATH Insights South Asia
The power of health technology innovations is undeniable - from next generation point-of-care tests for infectious diseases to AI-driven cancer screening and digital tools for managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Yet, in the Global South, many innovations face challenges in moving from concept to market. In this edition, we spotlight how PATH helps identify and deploy fit-for-purpose technology innovations within health systems to improve outcomes.
Maternal and newborn health remains a critical issue in South Asia, where despite decades of progress, 134 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes, and the neonatal mortality rate stands at 21 deaths per 1,000 live births. These deaths are preventable, and investing in mothers and children means investing in the future.
In this edition, we spotlight PATH’s efforts to strengthen the continuum of care in maternal, newborn and childhood health, highlighting key interventions that are helping to ensure healthier futures for mothers and children.
The emerging impacts of climate change on health systems and communities signal an impending public health crisis. Adapting public health systems to a warming planet, while reducing emissions and strengthening resilience, are urgent needs. Technology innovations are a ray of hope for communities most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts on health.
In this edition, we spotlight Accelerator for Resilience in Climate and Health (ARCH), which is deploying five high-impact innovative technologies to build climate-resilient and sustainable health systems and communities.
Over the past decade, urban health has emerged as a crucial concern in India, driven by the rapid pace of urbanization. In this edition, we spotlight PATH’s efforts to enhance the availability, accessibility, and quality of primary health care services in urban areas.
At PATH, design thinking is in our DNA. We believe that effective primary health care (PHC) must prioritize people, placing individuals, patients, and caregivers at the forefront of service design and delivery. Through collaboration with partners, PATH is committed to improving PHC nationwide. In this edition, we spotlight our efforts to ensure that high-quality and affordable health services are accessible for all.
Every year, March 8 is marked as International Women’s Day, serving as both a reminder and a rallying cry to advocate for gender equality and women empowerment. In this edition of PATH Insights India, we focus on the impact of our work in furthering women’s access to health care.
Anemia poses a critical health crisis, affecting millions globally, with an estimated one-fourth of the world's population grappling with this condition. In this edition, we highlight PATH’s initiatives that support India’s Anemia-Mukt Bharat strategy.
The effects of climate change on health were a key focus of discussions at the recently-concluded 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, UAE. PATH champions solutions that address the immediate impact of climate change on communities while advancing health care solutions that mitigate long-term, climate-related health risks. In this edition, we highlight PATH’s initiatives to address the impacts of climate change on health.
In this edition, we explore how the G20 can fortify digital health systems. To mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, we share PATH’s work on advancing youth mental health in India. Read about PATH’s engagements at the Micronutrient Forum's 6th Global Conference and more.
In this edition, our focus is on why reimagining urban primary health care systems is central to the pursuit of health equity. We also spotlight some of our recent releases—the PATH Annual Report, a compendium of essays on public health, insights on urban digital health, and more.
In this edition, we talk about how India's G20 presidency promotes digital health accessibility and strives for a world where innovation translates into impactful change. We also share updates from our health programs, focused on private–sector engagement, digital health technologies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In this edition, we delve into PATH’s interventions that are revolutionizing maternal, newborn, and child care. From deploying cutting-edge innovations to community-based interventions, our work focuses on empowering parents, healthcare providers, and communities to create healthier, happier futures for mothers, newborns, and children.
We also share an exciting update about the Serum Institute of India's groundbreaking multivalent meningococcal meningitis vaccine achieving WHO prequalification, as well as insights on anemia prevention and control in India. Additionally, we highlight PATH's innovative Youth Ownership of Digital Health (YO.DH) initiative, fostering the next generation of digital health leaders.
In this edition, we spotlight our work towards building consensus around a more representative, global, end-to-end platform that can facilitate rapid and equitable access to vaccines. We also highlight the crucial role that new data tools, promising diagnostic solutions, and digital health initiatives are playing to transform healthcare service delivery.
This month, we spotlight the innovative work that the teams under the HIV/Viral Hepatitis umbrella are undertaking across India to provide comprehensive prevention and treatment services to even the most remote regions. We also look at updates from the Saksham MNCH Innovation Aavishkar Challenge, PATH’s representation at the 76 th World Health Assembly, and recent media coverage from our leadership.
In this newsletter, we spotlight our commitment to advance the health agenda under India’s G20 Presidency and bring you news about the latest developments in PATH’s work in infectious diseases and maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition interventions.
PATH has been spearheading tuberculosis (TB) elimination efforts in India since 2014. We are powering progress in TB care through groundbreaking tools and systems. This month, we spotlight our work on TB, followed by a round-up of interesting work happening at PATH, hand-in-hand with governments and partners to combat India’s disease burden.
In this newsletter, our spotlight is on PATH’s endeavors to improve mental health among the youth of India. We also trace our journey to address micronutrient deficiencies through large-scale food fortification, in collaboration with different stakeholders and the Government of India’s mission of providing holistic healthcare for all through PM-ABHIM. Finally, we take a closer look at PATH’s efforts to address climate change’s impact on health.
In this newsletter, we are sharing our work on driving health outcomes with a focus on nutritional standards. Our efforts run in tandem with the Government of India’s vision to create positive nutrition outcomes for all by 2024. We also continue to focus our program efforts to address multiple aspects of healthcare delivery to ensure equitable and accessible healthcare for all.
PATH leverages broad public health experience to build the digital- and data-enabling environment that sparks, scales, and sustains the digitalization of health system(s) and its strengthening, unlocking better health care. This month, we spotlight our work in digital health space followed by a round-up of interesting work happening at PATH to advance transformative health care delivery.
The combination of the continuum of care and innovative approaches has become more important than ever for driving better health outcomes. This has the potential to leapfrog existing challenges and achieve systems-level improvements in public health. This month, PATH has continued to engage with stakeholders locally and globally on several key health areas.
PATH has continued to focus on evidence generation, capacity and partnership building, as well as policy advocacy, across the health areas where we work. These pillars are key to ensuring the better programmatic design and efficient implementation, in as much as they are important for driving change at scale. Finally, all these elements are important to ensure the long-term sustainably of our interventions and projects. Here are some of the initiatives our team has been involved with last month.
August 2022 was an action packed month for PATH in India. We engaged with senior policy makers on several key areas that are pivotal in building a resilient national health system. These areas include further strengthening of the disease surveillance mechanisms by building a network of public health laboratories; continuing to support government with technical expertise in implementing various national schemes designed to achieve Universal Health Coverage(UHC); and our long-standing efforts to scale access to fortified rice and oxygen supplies across the country. With the launch of our report on mental health status of youth in India, we have also highlighted an important national health matter which requires urgent attention and investments in the near future.
India’s healthcare delivery and management services, like many other low-income countries have typically been designed to cater to the treatment and management of a specific disease. For instance, genome sequencing labs were set up across India to assist the growing need for rapid and efficient COVID-19 testing. While this approach has worked for the short-term, now that the spread of virus has decreased and testing requirements are low, integrating these labs into a nationwide network can help scale affordable diagnostics and surveillance capacity that can stay ahead of the future outbreaks.
Technology has changed every aspect of our lives. From banking to education, we have experienced how digitally powered products and services have vastly improved quality, driven wider access, and reduced costs for consumers. Healthcare is no different. Today, digitally enabled healthcare products and services also have the potential to vastly improve health outcomes across the entire health care supply and delivery chain - from drug discovery, to manufacturing, to treatment, disease prevention, monitoring and management.
Access to oxygen therapy can save millions of lives. It is indispensable in treating heart failure, pneumonia, asthma and COVID-19.
PATH India has been working to improve access to oxygen across India, for several years. Our efforts are a key part of PATH’s global work which spans a range of expertise and impact areas - from policy advocacy at key international forums, to the urgent work of building new oxygen generation capacity, facility by facility, state by state, everywhere it is needed.
For the first time in ten years, tuberculosis (TB) deaths are increasing due to the disruption of essential care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In India, TB cases have risen by a staggering 19% in 2021 over the previous year. As one of the deadliest diseases in the world, there is an urgent need to bring effective TB prevention, treatment, and care closer to communities.
PATH is leading efforts to develop innovative solutions for affordable, efficient, and effective screening, diagnosis, and treatment for TB cases in the world.
India is aiming to achieve Universal Health Coverage, and comprehensive primary healthcare is essential if this goal is to be achieved. With the launch of Health and Wellness Centres in 2018, the focus is to equip Sub-Health Centres and Primary Health Centres, to expand provided services, integrate technology to increase access and reach, upgrade methods of data management, upskill staff for improving uptake and quality of services, and augment accountability in health systems.
PATH aims to transform primary health care in India through scaling up of digital innovations and techniques, improve accountability, accessibility, and quality of services by upskilling staff, involving local government, and increasing community participation.
The rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron and its subvariants led to many countries enforcing nationwide lockdowns and curfews for the third time in two years. Experts predict, that mutations are likely to occur more frequently with rising cases. It is, therefore, imperative to have preventive strategies in place to ensure that our public healthcare infrastructure is not overwhelmed or overburdened.
While the physiological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have been studied at length, the impact on mental health over the last two years has largely remained unexplored, undiagnosed and untreated. Research suggests that there was a 10% increase in death by suicides from 2019 to an all-time high of 1,53,052 in 2020. Daily wage earners and young adults have made up the largest share of total suicides over this period of time.
A range of socio-economic vulnerabilities have contributed to this mental distress, and it is evident that we need concerted efforts and consistent engagement to improve our response to mental health challenges.
As states across India ease social distancing norms and other COVID-related restrictions, people are on the move again, and we are almost back to ‘business as usual’. Although India has administered over 715 million COVID-19 vaccine doses till now, COVID-19 continues to infect. And as long as the coronavirus remains in any part of the world – there is a risk of new variants emerging. So, how can we stay ahead of this evolving virus and strengthen our pandemic preparedness efforts?
As India continues expanding vaccination, states are easing covid-related restrictions. However, the next few months are critical for India. Across the globe, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. This means there is no room to let our guard down. In fact, this time can be best used to re-focus our resources on surveillance, scaling testing capabilities and to expand public health capacity, including, the supply of medical oxygen, as key elements of preparedness going forward.
During the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, India’s health system came under severe pressure. Capacity was quickly over run and the rapid rise of cases meant that citizens were not able to access health care in time or receive adequate treatment. There are several lessons to be learned from this phase. Overall, it is clear that both systemic interventions as well as emergency response planning need to be radically upgraded to successfully deal with ongoing and future health crisis in India. This month, we are going to focus on PATH’s efforts to fill the gaps in India’s oxygen ecosystem, new technologies/innovation for rapid and strategic COVID-19 testing and how PATH is supporting manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine.
As the pandemic hits us even harder, it brings to the fore the importance of resilient health systems yet again. While safe and effective vaccines have been developed and rolled out in record time; we must be cognizant of the fact that this is a battle half won and stronger health systems are essential for stopping the pandemic.
This month, we focus on the ongoing medical oxygen crisis in India and how is PATH responding to it. We also talk about the need for equitable access to medical oxygen, new variant-specific COVID-19 diagnostic dashboards, non-communicable diseases (NCD) and progress on immunization in Bihar.
On March 24, World TB Day, our newsfeeds filled with stories celebrating our progress towards the goal of elimination of TB. This deserves applaud and celebration.
In this month's newsletter, we unpack what it will take to advance primary health care and control diseases like TB and Kala-azar.