Hyderabad, Jan 1 :The year 2021 was difficult for sectors across the spectrum because of the unprecedented challenges that they had to face in terms of lockdowns, disruptions, and overall chaos.
It was also a year that tested the healthcare sector in India, and globally, till a critical point while the eye health sector was also not untouched by these disruptions and struggles, according to MaxiVision Group Eye Hospitals Chairman Dr GSK Velu here.
In fact, it came under extreme stress after the cases of black fungus started appearing from across the country in the patients who had been infected by Coronavirus during the second wave, he said its effects on the eyes were also worrying and MaxiVision played an important role in spreading awareness of taking care of our eyes and protecting them during the pandemic.
Mucormycosis or black fungus was found to severely affect the eyes of the patient and it was essential for anyone who experienced discharge from the eyes to immediately contact a doctor and get their eye-check-up done, Dr Velu said.
However, the challenges for the eye healthcare sector in India were not just limited to this, the Eye specialist said that it was also the hindrance caused to everyday operations and the overall focus towards fighting the pandemic which disrupted the regular eye check-ups and treatments at risk of being ignored.
While the patients skipped visiting the doctors’ clinics and hospitals because of the fear of getting a covid infection, they had to ignore the necessary regular medical attention to maintain good health, he said.
The biggest challenge was for those who were already sick or suffered from debilitating illnesses, Dr Velu said Considering the situation, especially in the eye sector, MaxiVision made sure that none of its patients suffered because of the disruptions by providing them timely redressal and support.
While the operations were severely disrupted, we have already witnessed a recovery and coming back to smooth functioning during the same time. This is why we are hopeful for the sector’s recovery to pre-covid levels in the year 2022 if there is no disruption caused by another wave of covid, he added.
In fact, the operations have already reached the pre-covid levels by December 2021 and this momentum will continue as the next year, he said.
Budget 2022 will most likely be focused on the healthcare sector and the Centre will continue to invest in the healthcare business, considering both domestic and global needs, he opined.
The MaxiVision Hospitals Chairman said we anticipate the government increasing public investment from 1.29 percent of GDP to at least 2.5-3 percent of GDP by 2025.
Because of its varied ecosystem, which includes stakeholders from academia and government, the medical device sector has a lot more space to grow. India is currently one of the top 20 markets for medical equipment in the world, he added.(UNI)