Digital disability Should Be Addressed With High-Priority - Dr Rajendra Pratap Gupta

Yesterday, I was invited to a dinner meeting by the founders of Medical Dialogues, Dr. Prem Aggarwal and Meghna. It was a meeting of minds. I loved the food and the food for thought, some discussions will have a bearing on how we think of the medical practice and the delivery of healthcare, and so I thought of sharing the key discussions via this post, as they will undoubtedly impact your plans for the new year.

When Dr. Aggarwal told me that one of his friends gifted him my best-selling book 'Digital Health-Truly Transformational,' and after reading the book, he implemented three projects in his hospital as ideas from the book, and benefitted immensely with a RoI on his investments, as an author and a course chair for a P.G. Program on Digital Health & the other for the founders and CEOs of hospitals, I was speechless.

Dr. Prem Aggarwal is a known figure in the hospital sector, and his students have done extremely well. As we discussed over dinner, I told him how fast the world was changing.

In India, I am super excited at how senior clinicians and professionals in the hospital and healthcare sector are fast-tracking digital health implementation by doing the courses. It is a harsh fact that technology will take over and replace some of our roles, but if we become friends with technology and learn it soon, we can convert the race between the ‘man’ and the ‘machine’ to a joyful ride with technology.

I have done my bit for digital health by ideating and drafting the National Health Policy and ideating the National Health Authority. Now, through the Academy of Digital Health Sciences, we are offering the world’s best courses in Digital Health. We have already trained hundreds of leaders, and my goal is to train 500 leaders who will transform healthcare not just in India but globally.

Dr. Prem made a very interesting point that those who do not use digital tools today are disabled, and not knowing ‘digital health’ is no less than being handicapped (disabled) as they cannot function to their full potential. According to Dr. Aggarwal, Similar to physical, mental, and intellectual disability, in today’s age, not knowing digital technologies should be considered a disability.

He is so right, and as I leave for the United Nations’ IGF meeting tomorrow, where I will lead a session on primary care in the digital age, I am going to quote Dr. Prem Aggarwal that not being trained in digital technologies should be treated as a disability.

We must plan to address the same. In our ‘Annual Global Reports on Internet and Jobs’ since 2021, we have been recommending why we need to train seniors and women in digital technologies, and Dr. Prem is bang on, that not knowing digital technology should be considered a disability, and those reading this should accept the fact that if they still are not well versed in digital tools in their professions, they are not just digitally illiterate but also, digitally disabled! It may be the best time to start getting trained in digital tools.

In our courses at The Academy of Digital Health Sciences (www.digitalacademy.health), we have partnered with IIM Raipur to provide the best training for senior doctors and healthcare professionals and our experience shows that 75% of those who take these courses are senior doctors and senior healthcare leaders and now, even engineers are learning digital health in this course.

Given the commitment of Medical Dialogues to uplifting the profession, we at the Academy of Digital Health Sciences are happy to announce as the digital Skilling partner for Medical Dialogues and for their pioneering conference Ai-CON. This will help create a ground level impact for driving a bottom-up change for digitalization of Indian Healthcare.

Thank you, Dr. Prem Aggarwal, Meghna Singhania, and Vidush.

I wish the readers of Medical Dialogues a Happy Holiday Season, Merry Christmas, and a fabulous 2025.