Global: India and UAE to heavily invest in digital technology

India and the UAE plan to invest in digital technology and data solutions significantly over the next three years, a report has found.

EY, in collaboration with YouGov, surveyed 2,243 health and social care managers across Australia, India, Italy, UAE, the UK and the US between 3 September and 29 September 2020.

The report found that the uptake of digital technologies and data solutions doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic across the board, with telephone and video consultations seeing the most significant rise.

Half of survey respondents reported planned investments in digital technologies and data solutions over the next three years, with India (75%), Italy (54%) and the UAE (53%) topping the list.

Although, 22% of US respondents said organisations did not plan to invest in these solutions.

Other notable findings included 40% of respondents citing practitioner concerns, including the potential for increased administrative duties, loss of interactions with service users and reliance on data insights over professional judgment, as a barrier to implementation.

A majority of respondents in all countries reported that digital tech increased staff productivity, ranging from 54% in the UK to 86% in the UAE.

A further 66% of global respondents agreed that their staff quickly adapted to using new digital tools. Around 61% of respondents said organisations are using these digital solutions more effectively than before the pandemic and 58% reported improved efficiency of operating models.

‘The UAE is among the countries with the highest use of digital technologies and data solutions. It may also be the case that the UAE’s relatively modern urban infrastructure and systems allowed it to be more agile than other older and more established healthcare systems,’ said Mohammad Sear, MENA digital government and public sector consulting leader at EY.

‘Over the next few months, the actions of regulators, payers, service providers, vendors and service users will become increasingly important, and will pave the way for increased usage of digital technologies and analytical tools within HHS organisations around the world.

‘Doing so successfully, however, will require all stakeholders in the sector to come together, innovate and find ways to ensure that these promising technologies are being used to their maximum potential and delivering improved – and in many cases, vital – services to their citizens.’