A Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) national healthcare supply chain portal has been launched to provide the real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies.
These products include primary medical supplies, diagnostic instruments and kits, auxiliary supplies, prosthetics and orthotics, dental equipment, PPE, and respiratory assistance devices, among others.
The portal, AarogyaPath, will serve manufacturers, suppliers, and customers. During the present national healthcare emergency, where there is a severe disruption in the supply chain, the ability to produce and deliver the critical items may be compromised.
According to a press release, the information platform with the vision to provide a “path which leads one on a journey towards Aarogya (healthy life)”, was developed to address these challenges.
The integrated public platform provides a single-point availability of key healthcare goods and will be helpful to customers with several routinely experienced issues. Some of which include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify high-quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardised products at reasonable prices within required timelines, and a lack of awareness about the latest product launches.
It also helps manufacturers and suppliers reach a wide network of customers efficiently by overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centres like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, and hospitals.
It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and the visibility of new requirements for products. Over time, analytics from this platform will keep manufacturers updated on overcapacity and looming shortages. This would help to reduce the wastage of resources because of inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing.
It also will generate awareness about the demand for new technologies.
CSIR expects AarogyaPath to become the national healthcare information platform of choice in the years to come, filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies, the release noted.
It was launched by officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The portal was developed in partnership with Sarvodaya Infotech. Institutional users and manufacturers/authorised suppliers of healthcare essentials are encouraged to register and participate actively.
Recently, the Minister for Electronics and IT (MeitY) launched India’s national artificial intelligence portal.
The portal is a one-stop digital platform for AI-related developments in India and to share resources like articles, startups, investment funds, resources, companies, and educational institutions related to AI in the country.
The portal also provides documents, case studies, and research reports. It has a section dedicated to emerging job roles in the field of AI.
Another portal launched by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is a technology-driven control room and information management system for MSMEs.
The online portal, called Champions, utilises the latest ICT tools and aims to assist Indian MSMEs to have a platform to compete in international markets.
Short for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength, the portal will offer support for the country’s small businesses.
