AMCHAM’s Hyderabad Chapter organized the 6th Healthcare Conference in Hyderabad on September 28th, 2018. Accessibility, quality, affordability and transparency are key tenets to strive for in healthcare. The ability to make each of these beliefs a reality lies not just with policy makers and physicians, but with investors, hospitals, insurance companies, researchers, pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostic and patient-care companies, all of whom make up the healthcare ecosystem. Given the context, the overall theme of the conference was “Changing Landscape in Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities.” A focus on different domains was important to generate the right perspective and hence the focus of the conference was not limited to healthcare delivery models in isolation.

The conference began with a welcome address by Mr. Shashidhar Reddy, Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM, followed by an address by Consul General Katherine Hadda, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad, who was the guest of honor. The inaugural address was given by Dr. Subhash Khuntia, Chairman, Insurance Regulatory Authority of India. Session I focused on ‘Creating the Right Healthcare Delivery Modes: Services, Geographies and Quality.’ Mr. Satya Gottumukkala was the moderator for this panel with Dr. GN Road, Founder & Chairman, LVPEI, Mr. Hari Thalapalli, CEO, Call Health and Mr. Harish Krishnaswamy, COO, Tata Trust. Session 2 touched on ‘Healthcare Innovation – Disrupting Conventional Business Models.’ This was led by Mr. Ratan Jalan, Founder, Medium Consulting, along with Mr. Rajaram Sankaran, Director Strategy, Abbott, Mr. Rajendra Srivastava, Dean ISB and Mr. Manish Sharma, Senior Medical Director, PAREXEL and Mr. Hari Bhardwaj, Founder, eSahai. They shared diverse views on disrupting conventional business models and how innovation is the door for newer solutions. Session 3 dwelt on the subject of human resources – ‘The Unfulfilled Gap: Role for Skill Development and Quality.’ Led by Dr. Ambuj Chaturvedi a neurosurgeon from Medtronic along with Mr. Vaibhav Tewari, COO, Portea Medical, Mr. Srinivasa Rao, CEO, Apollo MedSkills and Mr. Satya Gottumukkala. The last session of the day concentrated on ‘Balancing Profitability and Affordability: Role and Challenges for Different Stakeholders.’ This was led by Mr. Ritesh Dogra, Partner, Medium Consulting, along with Mr. Manish Bajaj, VP, India Business, Dr. Reddy’s, Mr. Divya Prakash, Site Director, Medtronic, Mr. Ram Rangarajan, Director, Stryker Global, and Mr. Rahul Paith, COO/Director, DocOnline.

Delegates included entrepreneurs, start-ups, and mid to senior managers from different healthcare formats. Some of the delegates were quite senior and accomplished in their respective fields. There were around 150 participants. The takeaways of the conference would be summarized in the form of a white paper which would be circulated shortly.