Sandeep Mankikar, MBA, PGDST, BE

Reflecting on my experience at the GCC Innovation Summit 2025 hosted by IIT Kanpur, I participated in a panel discussion titled “Healthcare: Domain GCCs meet Healthcare Researchers.” This event facilitated an inspiring exchange of ideas between academia and industry, focusing on shaping the future of healthcare innovation. I believe that research in the life sciences should incorporate four foundational elements to drive real-world impact: 1. Clinical Significance – Does it improve patient outcomes? 2. Statistical Significance – Is it backed by a robust hypothesis testing framework? 3. Commercial Viability – Can it be scaled and sustained? 4. Tech & Operational Viability – Is it implementable in real-world systems? Every basic researcher should consider these dimensions when selecting and planning their research topics. Bridging the gap between academic inquiry and practical application is essential for transforming healthcare. It is time for India to translate its basic research into innovative solutions for broader access to medicines. What's your view about it? I am grateful to be part of this journey in advancing innovation and thought leadership in driving health for all. #GCCInnovationSummit #IITKanpur #HealthcareInnovation #ResearchImpact #GCCs #AIinHealthcare #ClinicalResearch #TranslationalScience

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In just one year, the Indian state of Goa has screened over 70,000 patients for high-risk lung nodules — thanks to an innovative state-wide program by the Government of Goa, Qure.ai, and AstraZeneca. At an event today, Hon. Health Minister Shri Vishwajit Rane not only shared his vision for how AI can transform healthcare, but also announced a new policy to make expensive targeted therapies for diseases like lung cancer accessible to patients in the state. With qXR for detection, qTrack for follow-up management, and a dedicated team of patient navigators, Goa is showing how technology, policy, and healthcare teams can work together to save lives — and inspire the rest of India. Dr Ajaykumar Sharma, Praveen Rao Akkinepally, Subhankar Basak, PhD, Ti Hwei How, Viraj Rajadhyaksha, Nick Passey潘尼克, Mohammed Hannan, Kiran Kesavan Sagar Sen, Rejesh Bose, Parasaran V, Ankit Modi, Aniket Agrawal, Anumeha Srivastava, Rakhee Krishnan, Amrutha Joseph, Bhargava Reddy

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗕 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 → 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 ARPOB may seem simple, but it’s one of the most misunderstood hospital metrics. After my last post, over 300 healthcare professionals from across domains asked for a detailed guide. So here it is → the complete ARPOB (Average Revenue Per Occupied Bed) Playbook. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲:  • How to calculate & interpret ARPOB  • Why “full occupancy” ≠ profitability  • 7 levers to increase ARPOB without raising tariffs  • Real benchmarks & use-cases from hospitals It’s practical, field-tested, and written for 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 📘 Click View document below to read or download your copy. If it helps you, hit Save... you’ll want to refer back to it often.

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🔥 The Dark Side of Pharma Sales: Real Demand or Just Number Games? 💊 Primary vs Secondary Sales – Who's Winning? Who's Suffering? In the Indian pharmaceutical industry, Primary Sales vs Secondary Sales has become a murky battlefield. Numbers look great in the boardrooms – but what do they mean on the ground? 📦 Primary Sales: Stock pushed from company to distributor. 🛍️ Secondary Sales: Actual sales from chemist to patient. Here’s where it gets messy: ➡️ Sales Teams are under constant pressure to meet “Primary Targets”, even if the market demand doesn’t justify it. ➡️ Returns pile up quietly at the backend, when unsold stock makes its way back to companies. ➡️ Companies claim growth, but the ground reality is inflated inventory, not genuine patient benefit. 🎯 And the patients? They’re just sandwiched in this power-play. Big pharma companies often play on Primary Sales numbers for investor confidence. Smaller companies, struggling for shelf space, try to survive via Secondary Sales—deep discounts, schemes, anything to stay in the game. Now, add Generic Medicines to the mix: 💰 Most generics offer huge margins to retailers. 🤐 But rarely is the benefit passed on to the patients. 📦 Sometimes, the same company markets 4–5 brands of the same molecule, plus a generic version too! What’s the problem with this? . Patient Confusion: Patients may not realize that different brands with different names contain the exact same drug. . Price Disparity: A premium brand can cost 10–20 times more than the generic version, even though the medicine is chemically identical. . No Direct Patient Benefit: The strategy benefits companies and chemists (due to margins) rather than passing savings to patients. . Unnecessary Competition Among Brands of the Same Company: Sales teams from the same company might compete with each other. Example: A company might have 5 different brand names for Atorvastatin 10 mg (a cholesterol medicine) — targeting doctors across various segments — plus a low-cost generic Atorvastatin to meet government tenders. Why? 👉 To target different segments. 👉 To create artificial differentiation. 👉 To confuse, not to cure. 🎭 It’s a game of packaging, branding, and margins. Not always patient-first. 🛑 Isn’t it time we shift the focus from targets to treatment? From numbers to need? From sales pressure to service ethics? Let’s talk real sales, real outcomes, and real patient benefit. #IndianPharma #PrimaryVsSecondary #PharmaSales #GenericDrugs #PatientFirst #EthicsInPharma #PharmaTruth #HealthcareDebate

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In Roads Made for a Fortuner, Why Drive a Ferrari? If you’re a CXO, promoter, or director running a hospital in tier 2 or tier 3 India like me, it’s time to rethink your game plan. The healthcare landscape in smaller cities demands smart, ground-up strategies — forget flashy tools you don’t need. Here are three hard truths to live by: 1.Skip expensive training agencies. Jump right in and invest in skilling your people. At our price points, a culture shift is overdue. It’s about nurturing your existing team leaders to demand competence, build capability, and rally around a LAGAAN spirit — no excuses, just grit and growth. 2.Don’t waste bandwidth chasing unproven technology. Unless your hospital is one of the marquee ones (think Apollo, Fortis, Manipal, Narayana) with robust infrastructure and the EBITA to back it, wait till tech innovations are battle-tested by the giants. It might sound old school, but applying beta tech without readiness is a recipe for burned resources and lost focus. 3.Stop splurging on conventional marketing. Channel your resources into patient- and employee-centric activities. The ROI from delivering exceptional patient experience and fostering employee well-being is profound. Research shows happier employees reduce absenteeism and burnout, which directly improves patient satisfaction, retention, and revenue growth — a measurable, sustainable growth engine. We are playing in a different league from those glossy-headlined hospitals. The sooner we embrace this reality, the better off we'll be. Being patient-first and employee-centered is not just ethical — it’s the smartest ROI strategy in tier 2 and tier 3 healthcare. So, if roads in your markets are built for a Fortuner, why bother chasing a Ferrari? Let’s focus on what’s real, what’s ready, and what delivers lasting impact. That’s how you win. Apex Hospitals

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One Nation, One Healthtech Stack: The Future of Digital Healthcare in India India is at the cusp of a groundbreaking shift in healthcare delivery. Thanks to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, we now have over 73 crore ABHA IDs issued—enabling citizens to securely store and transmit their health data. Additionally, more than 5 lakh healthcare professionals are onboard, reinforcing trust and credibility in digital health platforms. But it’s not enough to just digitise records; we must create an interoperable healthtech stack that connects every node of the healthcare ecosystem—clinics, labs, hospitals, and telehealth platforms. Imagine seamless access to a patient’s medical history, diagnostics, and prescriptions, no matter where they receive care. Initiatives like the Unified Health Interface (UHI), which draws from the principles of UPI, are designed to bridge this digital divide, enabling frictionless integration of services across providers. This unified infrastructure promises better diagnosis, improved transparency, and stronger continuity of care. India has already set global benchmarks with digital infrastructure—from Aadhaar to UPI and CoWIN. A healthtech stack built on similar principles can revolutionise public health: enabling informed decision-making, expanding preventive care, and ensuring that technology truly serves every Indian, everywhere. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gdtfFRBN #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #ABDM #UnifiedHealthInterface #HealthcareTransformation #ApolloTeleHealth

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India: A MedTech Inflection Point with Hypergrowth Potential 🇮🇳 It's clear that India is at a unique inflection point, poised for explosive growth and becoming a global hub for MedTech. The energy and optimism in the room were palpable. Here are the key takeaways from the conversation that happened on day 1 MedTech Forum 2025 Key Takeaways 1. Hypergrowth is Real and Sustainable The Indian market for robotic and medical-assisted surgery is experiencing "hypergrowth," with annual rates of over 40%—more than double the global average of 18-20%. This rapid growth, though from a smaller base, is considered sustainable due to several critical factors: * A growing need for advanced medical solutions. * A supportive policy environment. * Increased customer and patient readiness to adopt new technology and a vibrant ecosystem. 2. Tech-Savvy Physicians Driving Adoption Indian physicians are among the most tech-savvy in the world. They're adopting robotics and other advanced technologies at an explosive pace. In fact, the productivity (procedures per robot per month) in India is already the highest in the world for some technologies, despite the country adopting them later than others. 3. From R&D Hub to Manufacturing Powerhouse India is evolving from a global R&D center to a potential manufacturing and export hub for MedTech. Companies are leveraging the country's vast talent pool, especially in AI and software engineering, to develop cutting-edge products. The government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program and improved regulatory frameworks are creating a favorable environment for this transition. However, a stable, long-term regulatory framework specifically for medical devices, distinct from pharmaceuticals, is needed to solidify this progress. The collaborative spirit between government, hospitals, academia, and private companies is crucial for building a resilient supply chain and a future-ready MedTech ecosystem. The data-rich environment in India provides a unique opportunity to use AI to improve surgical outcomes and workflows, paving the way for a more personalized approach to medicine. CNBC-TV18 Gary Guthart Kevin Lobo Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsäß Gil Bashe Shivani Gupta Ritika Jauhari Devleena De Sarah Rajan Zoya Surana Aanchal Agarwal Serina Anthony FINN Partners SPAG FINN Partners Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed)

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