ACCESS Health International made contributions as a Knowledge Partner to the Innovate India, Vision 2047 Conference, organised by the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Procedures of India (OPPI) in collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceuticals on the 2nd of October 2023 in New Delhi.
As a part of the event, Mr Maulik Chokshi, Deputy Country Director (Technical) from ACCESS Health was invited to moderate a panel discussion titled “Access to Innovation”. The panel was designed to explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding the complex journey of delivering innovative healthcare solutions in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) with the aim to discuss models of excellence that can be adopted to enhance accessibility and affordability while improving healthcare outcomes.
The session started with an address from Dr Kamlesh Kumar Pant, Chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, outlining various initiatives taken by the government of India to enhance access to quality medicine.
Dr Pant’s address was followed by the panel discussion moderated by ACCESS Health’s Mr Mulik Chokshi.
The panellists taking part in this discussion moderated by Mr Chokshi included:
Mr Gilbert Verkuijlen, Regional Value and Access Head, Access Global Lead, Novartis
Mr Pankaj Kakkar, Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Indegene
Mr Rajasekhar Parcha, Co-Founder, CEO, GoApptiv
Dr Monika Puri, Chief Country Access & Policy Officer, Roche
Mr Sanchit Nanda, Sr. Director, Global Patient Solutions, Gilead Sciences
A discussion between these esteemed speakers brought out the comparisons in navigating the complex healthcare landscape of healthcare innovation through their experience and the need for multi-stakeholder coordination at various levels to ensure access to innovative products and services. The conversation delved into the need for value-based care and its benefits, the role of AI-driven scientific modelling in supporting healthcare workers, how tech platforms can enable penetration in rural areas, challenges and opportunities in managing multilateral organisations to enhance innovation access in LMICs and the challenge of financing in a resource-constrained setting.