ABDM, telemental health budgets slashed
Earlier this week, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the official Union Budget for 2024-25.
For healthcare, the government has earmarked Rs 90,958.63 crore ($10.8 billion), up nearly 13 percent from last year’s Rs 80,517.62 crore ($9.6 billion).
This includes Rs 200 crore ($24 million) for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission, down from the Rs 341 crore ($40.7 million) allocation last year. The government program is building the foundation for a digitally connected healthcare ecosystem through the creation of electronic health records.
Meanwhile, another digital health initiative, the national telemental health programme, also saw its allocation fall to Rs 90 crore ($10.7 million) from Rs 133.7 crore ($16 million) a year ago.
NUCOHS says image data, AI integration underway
The National University of Singapore Centre for Oral Health (NUCOHS) has unveiled a long-term plan to leverage digital technology to improve the quality of dental care.
The center, which is part of the National University Health System, said it is building a dental imaging repository that will support the development of new treatment plans and data-driven research. It plans to integrate the database with computer-aided design and manufacturing to enhance the creation of dental restorations such as dentures, prostheses and crowns.
NUCOHS also shared that they are working on integrating AI models with EMR systems to improve early detection and prediction of dental conditions such as cavities and gum disease.
“AI will play an increasingly important role in our practice, and by integrating AI and innovative research, we ensure that patients receive the most accurate, effective and appropriate care. Additionally, we hope to use our extensive data to study the relationship and impact of a patient’s systemic condition and the medications they are taking on the progression of oral disease and treatment prognosis,” explains Patrick Tseng, associate professor at NUCOHS.
PhilHealth launches digital platform to streamline access to services
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) state health insurer in the Philippines has begun migrating its legacy systems to a new, more secure system.
The company recently launched the ePhilHealth platform that simplifies access to various insurance company services, including its outpatient benefits program, eKonsulta. Through PhilHealth’s integration with the eGovernment Data Exchange Platform, its members can also access their profiles, contributions, and claims history on the eGovPH super app.
PhilHealth has also integrated its system with the Philippine national ID system.
The move to a more secure digital infrastructure comes nearly a year after the state’s health insurer was hit with the Medusa ransomware attack, exposing data on about 13 million members.
