Digitizing healthcare to require big IT skills push

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

HEALTHCARE workers in the Philippines need to develop information and communications technology (ICT) skills as more healthcare firms shift to digital platforms, according to a healthcare management services and solutions company.

“During the pandemic, we saw an increase in the utilization of digital technology in general,” Carelon Global Solutions President Rajat Puri told BusinessWorld in an e-mail.

“What the industry should do is to invest in training and skill programs to come up with hard skills and refine them to cater to the healthcare industry.”

Philippine healthcare companies should guide healthcare workers on interacting with customers through digital media, he added.

Carelon, which rebranded from Legato Health Technologies in January, has two offices in the Philippine capital region and two more in Iloilo.

The company specializes in using digital tools to streamline operations for healthcare organizations.

Mr. Puri said his company has started implementing artificial intelligence (AI) to boost client efficiency.

“When we talk about digitalization and AI as complementary skills, it cannot be seen as reducing the need for labor, as labor will always be there,” he said.

Nora K. Terrado, head of Carelon Global Solutions Philippines, said in February that the health management information systems market in the Philippines has the potential to expand with the enhancement of talent development, infrastructure, and ease of doing business.

She said the market could be worth P28 billion by 2028 if the industry focuses on these growth enablers.

The Asian Development Bank has said the pandemic increased the need for digital skills with companies continuing to shift towards digitalization.

The Department of Labor and Employment has said it is working on narrowing the gap between worker skills and employee needs this year through upskilling programs.

The Philippines ranked 80th out of 133 countries in the Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires’ (INSEAD) Global Competitive Index 2022. INSEAD evaluated how countries and cities grow, attract and retain talent.

“As we’re looking at investing in AI and digital technologies which is a must, I also believe that the need for upskilling labor will be more important than ever because the world is moving,” Mr. Puri said.

“It’s very clear that whatever Filipinos are working on, it’s evolving with digitalization.”