GS1 India, a supply chain standards organisation set up under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, recently hosted the ‘Navigating the Future of Healthcare: From Vision to Reality’ conference at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The event brought together 150+ participants including healthcare experts, government officials, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and industry leaders. The conference aimed to serve as a platform for the stakeholders to discuss strategies for enhancing healthcare delivery through standardised practices.

During the keynote address, the CEO of GS1 India, S. Swaminathan, emphasised the importance of collaboration among healthcare stakeholders to improve patient outcomes. “It is time for all healthcare providers and supply chain partners to align their efforts towards the well-being of our citizens,” Swaminathan stated. He highlighted how breakthrough innovations, including AI and 2D barcodes, are revolutionising healthcare processes and ensuring product authenticity and safety.

Dr Vinod Kotwal, Member Secretary of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), emphasised on the need of product and product data enabling the vision of enhanced patient safety. She also discussed that technology must be harnessed to overcome supply chain challenges.

Chandrashekar Ranga, Joint Drugs Controller (India), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), suggested that the need of the hour is global harmonisation in the healthcare sector and asserted that a simple barcode scan is needed to ensure unique identification of products which helps in detection of falsified medicines and drug recall.

Several industry experts discussed the ‘Role of AI in Healthcare: AI-Driven Proactive Care & Predictive Intervention.’ They explored the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on preventive care, diagnosis, and treatment alongside its regulatory aspects. 

In the session focused on 'Role of Standardization and Interoperability in Drug/Medical Device Registry Design, it was discussed how registries are key to managing healthcare data, enabling interoperability, and enhancing supply chain transparency. The panelists dissected their role in supporting efficient insurance claims and personalised medicine.

The key speakers at the event also explored the regulatory landscape, including the recent mandates for QR codes on pharmaceuticals and their role in ensuring compliance and supply chain transparency.