The chief of the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Sir Malcolm Grant has embarked on a four-day trade mission to India with a delegation of 13 top British healthcare providers to promote collaborations between the two countries in the healthcare sector.
 

The Chairman of NHS England is leading the team alongside Healthcare UK and Department for International Trade to promote innovation in healthcare and collaborations between India and Britain in the healthcare sector. "Through this trade mission, we want to nurture the common and growing interest between India and the UK regarding the latest smart systems and pioneering new healthcare solutions, said Grant.

"As the National Health Service reaches its 70^th anniversary year it continues to be ranked amongst the foremost health systems in the world. We are proud of our strong heritage in science and technology development, but we continue to invest in innovation to improve patient care and meet the challenges of the 21^st century, he said.

The India tour, covering New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, is aimed at addressing the changing needs of medical provision as disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, wearable sensors, and virtual reality become increasingly commonplace.

In Mumbai, the team will participate in the inaugural India-UK Createch Summit on Tuesday, a day-long summit bringing together over 100 British companies from healthcare, film, music, immersive technology, industrial design and sport sectors as part of a series of trade missions to meet leading Indian businesses to discuss opportunities for collaboration and trade between the countries.

With India's healthcare market estimated to grow to USD 280 billion by 2020 and the Indian government s recent commitment to developing 100 smart cities across the country, demand for innovative healthcare solutions has never been higher, a UK government statement said.

The UK delegates are expected to demonstrate to Indian healthcare leaders how they can help meet key concerns around driving efficiencies in costs, increasing patient access in remote areas, and providing more personalised healthcare solutions through new technology.

In New Delhi, the mission will attend a Future of Healthcare event with senior management of hospitals, medical institutes, colleges and healthcare companies, in addition to a roundtable meeting with 10 CEOs of local hospitals. In Hyderabad, they will visit the site of an Apollo Hospital.