Health for All: A Call for Action on World Health Day

^Today on World Health Day, we celebrate the remarkable progress made in global health over the past 75 years. This year's theme, "Health for All," highlights the importance of ensuring everyone has access to quality health services regardless of their income, location, or social status. While there is still much work to be done, it's important to recognize the significant strides made in improving public health around the world.

In the past 75 years, life expectancy has increased by 25 years globally. This is just one example of the many achievements made possible through advances in healthcare and public health initiatives. However, as we celebrate the progress made so far, it's also essential to address the challenges that remain in achieving health equity for all.

In this article, we will explore the current state of healthcare in India and how digital transformation is driving progress. We will also provide actionable steps that employers can take to support employee well-being and promote a workplace health culture.

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

India's healthcare sector has been facing several challenges for a long time, including limited access to healthcare, low healthcare spending, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. However, these challenges have paved the way for digital transformation in healthcare, making healthcare services more accessible, affordable, and effective than ever before.

According to the National Health Profile 2019 report, India had only one government allopathic doctor for every 10,926 people, one government hospital bed for every 2,046 people, and only 0.8 nurses per 1,000 people. These figures reflect the challenges that India's healthcare sector challenges, leading to a lack of access to basic healthcare services for many.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital transformation in healthcare, enabling healthcare providers to adopt innovative approaches to healthcare delivery. According to the National Medical Commission, there were 13 lakh allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors as of June 2022, with a doctor-population ratio of 1:834, better than the WHO standard of 1:1000.

Moreover, the Indian government has launched several digital initiatives to transform the healthcare sector, such as the National Health Digital Mission (NDHM).

The NDHM aims to create a national digital health ecosystem, providing access to health services, electronic health records, and other health-related services through a single digital platform. The initiative has already seen considerable success, with over 1.4 million patients registered on the platform by January 2021.

"Health is a human right. Every person deserves to live a healthy life regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, or economic status. On this World Health Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to achieving health for all by ensuring equal access to quality healthcare services." - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

5 Key Trends in Human-Centered Healthcare

At The Wellness Tribe, we have observed several key trends in data that are paving the way for a more human-centered approach to healthcare. These trends are transforming the healthcare landscape and enabling better outcomes for individuals. Let's take a closer look at these trends:

1. The Rise of Personalized Health

The healthcare industry is moving towards personalized medicine, which means using data to tailor treatments to each individual's unique needs. Personalized health is becoming a reality due to advances in genomics, artificial intelligence, and wearables. With customized health, doctors can make more accurate diagnoses, and patients can receive more targeted treatments.

2. Data Liquidity and Remote Care

The pandemic has accelerated the trend toward remote care and telemedicine. With the rise of data liquidity, healthcare providers can easily access and share patient data across platforms, making remote care and telemedicine more efficient and effective. In addition, patients can receive virtual consultations and care from the comfort of their own homes, improving access to care.

3. Interconnecting Data for Highly Personalized Care

Healthcare providers can connect, analyze, and share health data from multiple sources, including electronic health records, wearables, and social determinants of health, to provide highly personalized care by connecting, analyzing, and sharing data.

It is possible to develop more targeted treatments for patients when healthcare providers interconnect this broad-based data.

4. Trusted Intelligence and Engagement

As healthcare providers gain more access to data, they also need to develop trust with patients and other stakeholders. As trusted intelligence systems emerge, healthcare providers can better serve patients and improve outcomes by fostering trust and engagement.

5. Embracing a Future-Ready Culture and Workforce

As healthcare becomes increasingly data-driven, it is essential to have a future-ready culture and workforce that embraces digital technologies. Clinicians must leverage medical, data, and behavioral science knowledge and skills to deliver the personalized care demanded by patients. To support this shift, healthcare entities must invest in education, training, and recruiting talent.

By embracing these trends, healthcare providers can create a more human-centered approach to healthcare that prioritizes the needs of patients. At The Wellness Tribe, we believe these trends will continue to shape the healthcare landscape in the coming years, leading to better health outcomes for all.

Taking Action for a Healthier Future

As we celebrate World Health Day this year, the focus should be on how to bring Health for All from a slogan to reality. As HR professionals and leaders in the corporate world, you have a crucial role to play in ensuring access to healthcare for all. Here are some action points for companies on this World Health Day:

1. Prioritizing Well-being Over Profit

The first step in creating a healthier future is to shift from economies driven by profit and pollution to economies driven by fairness and well-being. As HR leaders, we can take the lead in creating a culture that values employee well-being and prioritizes mental and physical health. By investing in employee wellness programs and creating a healthy work environment, we can set an example for other industries to follow.

2. Promoting Social Participation and Self-Care

Engaging and empowering individuals, families, and communities for increased social participation and enhanced self-care in health is key to achieving Health for All. As HR professionals, we can encourage employee engagement in wellness initiatives and provide them with the tools and resources they need to prioritize their health. By fostering a culture of self-care and promoting social participation in health initiatives, we can create a healthier and happier workforce.

3. Using a Primary Health Care Approach

Strengthening integrated national health systems using a primary health care (PHC) approach is crucial for delivering essential quality services with financial protection. As HR leaders, we can work towards creating a health-conscious work environment that emphasizes prevention and early intervention. By providing access to preventive healthcare services and encouraging regular health check-ups, we can help employees stay healthy and catch potential health issues early on.

4. Enabling Non-State Actors

Enabling non-state actors to participate in government-led planning, progress reviews, or implementation towards universal health coverage (UHC) is important in achieving Health for All. As HR leaders, we can advocate for government-led healthcare initiatives and encourage employees to get involved in social causes related to healthcare. By promoting awareness and advocacy around healthcare issues, we can contribute to the larger goal of achieving Health for All.

By prioritizing employee well-being, promoting self-care and social participation, and advocating for government-led healthcare initiatives, we can play an important role in achieving Health for All.

Together We Can

As we celebrate World Health Day 2023, it's important to reflect on the progress that has been made in global health over the past 75 years. However, it's also crucial to recognize the challenges that remain and the need for continued innovation and improvement.

At The Wellness Tribe, we recognize the importance of employee well-being in promoting overall health and happiness. By taking small yet significant steps to support employee well-being, companies can positively impact their workforce and, ultimately, their bottom line.

We encourage companies to implement unique and uncommon approaches to support employee well-being, such as offering healthy food options and mindfulness training. By taking action and prioritizing employee health, companies can create a culture of wellness that will benefit both employees and the organization as a whole.

If you're interested in learning more about how The Wellness Tribe can help support employee well-being through our customized corporate wellness programs, please reach out to us today.

Let's work together to impact global health positively, one company at a time.

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Master the art of mindfulness to unlock the power of proper meditation techniques and reach a higher level of awareness through your meditation practice.

^You are here means you are ready to embark on this journey. The best way of experiencing meditation is actually to do it, not just talk about it. Meditation isn't always easy; some days, it's going to feel easy, while others might feel hard. But, no matter how uncomfortable it feels, you just need to stay with it every time.

Your emotional wellbeing and overall health can benefit from meditation. It can bring you calm, peace, and balance. As a relaxation tool, you can refocus your attention on something calming when you're stressed. Mediation can also help you stay centred and find inner peace. Meditation might help you find the perfect work life balance if you work continuously.

The most important thing is that you set yourself up in a place where you will be comfortable. You can either lie down or sit up. You definitely don't have to be sitting cross-legged on the floor.

‍Let's Begin

The Mindful Journey: Exploring the Art of Meditation — Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

We're going to open our eyes and keep their gaze soft, just aware of the space around us. Now that you have your eyes softly focused, take a few deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe in, notice how the lungs fill with air, and the body expands.

As you exhale, notice that your body softens. Inhale through your nose one more time. And this time, as you breathe out through the mouth, if you'd like to, just gently close the eyes. Let's just enjoy and appreciate the feeling that we've stopped and have nothing to do, nowhere to go.

‍Take a Moment to Feel Changes in Your Body

Notice the feeling of weight—the weight of the body pressing down against the seat or the floor beneath you. And take a moment as well just to notice your surroundings without looking around, just noticing the different sounds, not trying to shut them out.

And use this opportunity as well just to notice how the body feels. We rarely pay attention to how our bodies feel. So is there a feeling of heaviness or lightness in the body? Is there a feeling of restlessness?

And as you bring your attention to the body, just starting to become more aware of that feeling, that movement of breath in the body. So, therefore, there is no need to breathe in any particular way.

Just allow the body to do its own thing. Some people feel the movement of breath in their chest, their shoulders. For some, it's in the diaphragm, and for some, it's in the stomach. Put your hand gently on your belly to feel that rising and falling sensation. Because you can't feel anything, you can't feel any movement.

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind peaceful. It is a way of seeing the peace that is already there." - Vimala Thakar

‍Put an End to Your Wanderings

Again, thoughts are going to pop into your mind. The mind's going to wander. Just notice when the mind's wandered off, and just gently come back to the breath. To begin with, we're just noticing the breath in a very general way and perhaps starting to notice whether the breaths are long or short, deep or shallow. And we might find ourselves thinking either about the exercise or other things, just realising when that's happened, let those thoughts go, and come back to the breath again.

The body knows how to breathe—not getting involved in any thinking, just allowing the thoughts to come and go. If you notice your mind has wandered and you want to bring it back to the breath, gently bring it back.

So we'll stay with that feeling, a rising and falling sensation, for a few moments longer. And then, just for a moment now, let go of any focus, even of the breath now, and for a few seconds, let your mind wander.

‍Put Your Mind at Ease

So your mind’s been wanting to think, you can let it think now. Just allow it to do whatever it wants to do. And now, just gently bring the attention back to the body. Just coming back now to that feeling of weight, that feeling of contact against the seat or the floor beneath you.

Perhaps noticing the sounds around you again. And whenever you feel ready, you can just gently open your eyes again. But before you move, just take a moment to notice how you feel in your mind body soul. The more often we do this after meditation, the more we're reminded of how much we need to pause in our life to take this time out for ourselves.

‍One Final Piece of Advice

If you can resist any temptation to analyse what's happened, the benefits, or anything else, just know that taking the time it's making a difference. But remember, before you get up, just remind yourself to take this satisfaction and sense of well-being with you into your life.

It is important to take time out, be still, and be silent to live a happy healthy life. And there are real benefits to that, but what really makes meditation valuable is how it influences our everyday life, relationships, and experiences.

Why Embracing Diversity Could Be Your Best Corporate Move Yet

^In the heart of every thriving organization lies a commitment to diversity. It’s not just about ticking boxes or meeting quotas. Diversity is about enriching your corporate landscape with a spectrum of perspectives, experiences, and ideas. A recent study by McKinsey & Company highlights that companies with diverse executive teams were 33% more likely to see better-than-average profits. This isn't a coincidence. When different voices are heard and valued, innovation thrives.

But how do we move from mere acknowledgment to active appreciation? It starts with creating a respectful culture. A respectful culture is the bedrock on which the pillars of diversity stand. It’s about ensuring every employee, regardless of their background, feels valued and understood.

Nurturing an Inclusive Environment

Creating an inclusive environment is about proactive engagement. It’s not enough to have diversity in your team; what matters is how these diverse elements interact. Google's re:Work initiative provides a fantastic framework here. They emphasize psychological safety - an environment where everyone feels safe to express their thoughts without fear of ridicule or backlash.

Why does this matter? A study from the Center for Talent Innovation found that employees in inclusive companies are 3.5 times more likely to contribute their fullest innovative potential. When you nurture an environment where differences are not just tolerated but celebrated, you unlock a treasure trove of creativity and problem-solving abilities.

Leadership's Role in Advocating Diversity

Leadership sets the tone for corporate culture. When leaders actively advocate for diversity, it sends a powerful message. It’s not about issuing a statement; it’s about embodying the values of diversity in every action and decision. Leaders should be trained to recognize their unconscious biases and understand how to foster an inclusive atmosphere.

Moreover, leaders need to be visible in their support. This might mean participating in diversity training sessions alongside employees, ensuring diverse representation in decision-making processes, or simply being approachable and open to conversations about diversity.

Encouraging Open Dialogue and Feedback

A culture of respect is a culture of open dialogue. It’s crucial to create channels for employees to voice their concerns, experiences, and ideas about diversity. This could be through regular feedback sessions, anonymous surveys, or open forums. The key is to listen actively and respond constructively.

Feedback isn't just about airing grievances; it's about continuous improvement. When employees see their input leading to real change, it reinforces their value to the organization. Moreover, these discussions can uncover hidden biases and provide insights into how to make the workplace more inclusive.

Measuring and Celebrating Diversity Success

Finally, what gets measured gets managed. It's important to set clear, tangible goals for diversity and track progress against them. This might involve metrics on recruitment diversity, retention rates of diverse employees, or the number of diversity-focused initiatives implemented.

But beyond metrics, celebrate your diversity successes. Whether it's a successful project team with diverse members or an inclusive event that brought different parts of the company together, celebrating these moments reinforces the importance of diversity in your corporate culture.