In 2018, Asia attracted a whopping investment of $6.3 billion in digital health, making it the second-largest digital health ecosystem in the world, after the US. China, India, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia are the current investment hotspots.

According to the Graphical Research new growth forecast report, Asia Pacific Digital Health Market is estimated to exceed USD 80.7 billion by 2025. Home to half the world’s population, Asia offers healthcare players a remarkable opportunity to foster productive digital partnerships. As digital health becomes high priority and investors get bullish about the sector, it’s time to deliberate over the future of digital health in Asia.

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‘AI doctor’ is in

In UK, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered healthcare system called Babylon has been integrated into the National Health Service, helping reduce waiting times and pressure on emergency services as well as improve the accuracy of diagnosis and health outcomes in general. In Rwandan, Babyl – a version of Babylon – makes healthcare accessible and affordable to people in remote areas – offering virtual appointments with clinicians, filling prescriptions, ordering lab tests, and issuing referrals.

The AI-backed ecosystem has the potential to address the huge unmet demand for healthcare in Asia. China’s ‘WeDoctor’ and ‘Ping An Good Doctor’ are already harnessing the power of AI in healthcare. India, Philippines, and Malaysia have also started investing in the healthcare infrastructure and technology space to promote digital health solutions. Healthcare experts predict that the focus, in due course, will shift to predictive and preventive care. Digitised data collection, together with the use of AI, can help healthcare systems to detect risk factors in advance and respond swiftly to prevent diseases.

The tech promise

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently created a Department of Digital Health and published its first set of guidelines on the subject. As the most efficient and cost-effective way to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’ health-related targets – universal health coverage, for instance – digital health tools hold the promise of a healthier future.

For Asian countries, in particular, the need of the hour is to integrate digital data and technology into their national health systems in order to make healthcare truly accessible and affordable for all its citizens. With a coherent digital approach that brings together the public, private, and social sectors, it’s possible to address the global health crisis in an effective and sustainable manner.