A CSIR National Healthcare Supply Chain Portal aims to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies launched on 12 June 2020. AarogyaPath would serve manufacturers, suppliers and customers. During the present national health emergency arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein there is a severe disruption in the supply chain, the ability to produce and deliver the critical items may be compromised due to a variety of reasons. The information platform named AarogyaPath with a vision of “providing a path which leads one on a journey towards Aarogya (healthy life)” was developed to address these challenges.
This integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of essential healthcare goods can help customers tackle several routinely experienced issues. These issues include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify good quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardized products at reasonable prices within desired timelines, lack of awareness about the latest product launches, and others.
According to the press statement, the portal also helps manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wide network of customers efficiently, overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centers like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, hospitals, and others. It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products. Over time, analytics from platform are expected to generate early signals to manufacturers on overcapacity as well as on looming shortages. This would reduce waste of resources due to inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing, generating awareness about the demand for new technologies.
CSIR expects AarogyaPath to become the national healthcare information platform of choice in the years to come, filling a critical gap in last-mile delivery of patient care within India through improved availability and affordability of healthcare supplies.
The portal was launched by Rajesh Bhushan officer on special duty, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the presence of DG CSIR, Shekhar C Mande. Sudhir Garg joint secretary, Ministry of MSME and Vijay Chauthiawale Pharma Sector Expert, were guests of honor at this event. Dr Shekhar Mande complemented the CSIR team involved in development of the portal, which was led by Anjan Ray, director CSIR-IIP. The portal was developed in partnership with Sarvodaya Infotech, and institutional users and manufacturers or authorized suppliers of healthcare essentials are encouraged to register and participate actively.
