Q:Please explain the concept of Toughbook and how is it applicable to healthcare? What are the expected benefits?

The basic concept of the Toughbook is that it is a highly reliable computing device, with almost negligible failure rates which help mission critical applications like HIS, ERP etc. to work on a device seamlessly. Toughbook devices come with a high degree of ruggedness which can withstand heat, water, dust, fall, vibration etc. These features provide a unique opportunity for doctors; nurses and other caregivers work, thus, improving both nurse and patient outcomes. The excellent part about this device is that it can be sanitized completely. For the healthcare industry, Panasonic is offering its mobile clinical assistant CF-H2, a specially designed tablet for this vertical. The Toughbook CF-H2 is a unique tool in its ability to transform the way mobile professionals work - wherever and whenever that might be. It is powered with a Windows® 7 Professional and latest Intel Processor. It has an extremely bright 10.1" transflective plus LCD screen with Dual Touch (up to 6.000cd/m² reflective brightness, depending on light conditions). It weighs only 1.58kg which makes it easy to be carried even at the most unadaptable conditions. The dual hot swappable batteries provide an uninterrupted service up to 7 hours and the integrated barcode reader options make it a useful tool for nurses and doctors working in hospitals maintaining the patient's record.

Q: How do you look at the role of technology in transforming the healthcare sector in next decade?

Technology will play a pivotal role in terms of giving new dimensions to the healthcare sector in the coming years. It will help improve processes, enhance accuracy and speed up accessibility to patient's records and fast treatments. We also believe that anything that has to do with patients can be accessed by doctors with relative ease, improved technology and enhanced mobility. Critical information will even be accessible while doctors are on the go, this will remarkably save the lead time for treatment. Mobility will play a major role in transforming the healthcare sector.

Q:What are the major challenges that need to be tackled and how?

Major challenges in the healthcare sector include factors such as low accuracy and slow accessibility are a few disadvantages in a patient's medical record as most of the data is recorded on paper. This limits doctors to get a snapshot of patient's medical history and increases the lead time for treatment.

Currently the technology deployed lacks mobility, it is essential that devices used should be easy to carry and accessible at all places with enhanced features like long battery life, light weight, ruggedness that can withstand the harshest of the environment conditions. Mobile devices will even allow the practitioners to transmit the patient's condition during critical times like while in ambulance to hospital so that doctors can be ready well in advance with the right treatment once the patient arrives in the hospital.

Q:How is Panasonic India playing its role in healthcare sector? Please tell us about few initiatives?

Panasonic is striving as a solution provider to the major challenges faced by professionals in the healthcare industry. We offer our rugged computing solutions like the CF-H2 which is a mobile clinical assistant addressing the mobility requirement of healthcare professionals. These devices are easy to carry and can even be sanitized for use in critical zones like OPD, OT etc. Moreover these devices can be used by medical practitioners in rural villages & can withstand all harsh conditions.

Q:What kind of growth do you expect in healthcare market and what is your current and expected revenue share in it?

The Healthcare industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and hospitals are getting paperless, we expect the whole industry to grow at around 20% annually in next 5 years. With introduction of mobile clinical assistant in the Indian market which is widely used in leading hospital chains across the globe, we speculate a considerable increase in revenue share this financial year.