Role of ICT in Healthcare Sector: An Empirical Study of Pune City

Information technology has a critical role to play today in enabling progress in a multitude of areas which fall under the domain of development. It is a tool, which if properly utilized, can help mobilize resources and improve efficiencies by leaps and bounds. This study pertains to the intersection of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and healthcare infrastructure and analyzes the level of digitalization and general utilization of information technology within the private and government hospitals; with regard to consumer interface, and secondly, regarding the knowledge and attitude of people towards the same. The research takes a dual focused approach to incorporate the views of two parties, mainly the service providers of healthcare and the consumers. Results show that citizens of Pune are largely aware of the e-health services available to them. Hospitals are also found to be sensitive to their need to keep up with technological progress as that not only helps them improve their internal administration but also improve their relationship with patients. A smart city requires a confluence of efforts both from the Government and a proactive citizenry to succeed and Pune city appears to be on the right path.