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Joshi, Pallavi
(2024).
Abstract
About 70 per cent of cancer cases in India are diagnosed at an advanced stage, rendering the treatment ineffective or unaffordable. The lack of timely access to suitable early detection technologies is one of its primary reasons. Previous research highlights that misaligned health and industrial policies in India have resulted in a mismatch between local health needs and relevant industrial innovations. In recent years, the Indian Medical Technology (MedTech) sector has seen a surge in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovations addressing challenges in early cancer detection in resource-constrained healthcare systems. This paper examines three case studies of early cancer detection MedTech innovations for breast, cervical, and oral cancers by Indian start-ups. Employing a novel Inclusive Health Innovation framework and 75 years of policy evolution, along with online stakeholder interviews in India, this paper identifies and analyses factors, actors, networks, and knowledge and technology driving these inclusive innovation efforts. The paper reveals that strong interactions in science, technology, and innovation (STI), industrial, and healthcare policies have fostered a MedTech ecosystem, enhancing technological capabilities to develop early cancer detection solutions suited to the Indian healthcare system. While demand-side policies and healthcare delivery are cautiously adapting to this technological change, they signify pocket wins in increasing the availability of locally relevant cancer screening solutions. The findings of this paper provide theoretical, empirical, and policy insights for low-resource healthcare settings utilising emerging technologies for enhanced healthcare access.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
