India's First Global Women's Health Innovation Conference to Emphasise the Possibilities of Femtech

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 19 October 2022

The first health conference in India focused on enhancing women's health through technology will take place in Mumbai on December 12 and 13, 2022.

Swathi Kulkarni, co-founder and CEO of Elda Health and a member of the conference advisory board, stated in a statement prior to the conference that women's health is severely underserved at all levels, including research, the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials, the allocation of meagre resources, diagnosis, and mindset. This gap is pervasive not just in India but around the world.

Swathi further says: “This conference is a timely initiative to highlight these challenges and potential of technologies in addressing these gaps successfully. There is a definite need to raise awareness and bring women’s health in to the mainstream conversation. The conference will serve as a credible platform for all those who are committed to come together and build a better ecosystem of support for women’s health.” 

Swathi adds: “Women’s health is among fastest growing categories in healthcare today and the opportunities in tech health are immense. For instance there will be 1.1 billion postmenopausal women worldwide by year 2025 with diverse needs of support, treatment and solutions. According to a recent report by venture capital firm Female Founders Fund the menopause market is estimated to be a $600 billion opportunity.” 

Femtech refers to diagnostic instruments, goods, services, wearables, and software that uses technology to address problems with women's health. By 2026, it is predicted that India's Femtech market would be valued 71 billion dollars, and the entire health ecosystem will have undergone significant digitalization.

"The conference is designed to support the vision of National Health Authority (NHA), the implementing agency for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to build a national digital health ecosystem for India," says Sujeet Katiyar, the conference executive committee lead and a digital health and compliance expert.

In order to enable public and commercial health providers to contribute digital resources, the National Health Authority (NHA) recently set out to develop an open, interoperable platform. The Global Women's Innovations Health Conference is a forum for collaboration where health tech professionals can exchange knowledge about how to take advantage of this enormous opportunity.

"The digital health business is in its infancy and has to create trustworthy benchmarks as well as cultivate confidence among patients and clinicians across the nation," Sujeet continues.

For instance, the delivery of healthcare through technology raises serious questions about data security, patient privacy, and patient rights. As a result, the conference will have a special session on trust-building, patient privacy, and data protection. The GWHIC conference will continue to spread awareness over the following three years about issues including how to create secure and resilient digital health start-ups.

According to the conference's organisers, it will serve as a forum for practitioners and service providers to network and strengthen the ecosystem surrounding women's health.

Women's health is not a niche industry, but there is a need to raise awareness and attention through dialogue and collaborations, according to Jaya Rebello, managing director of Collab Function and conference organiser. We appreciate the support and collaboration from the top healthcare organisations, tech companies, and women's health groups as we prepare for the 2022 conference and develop a long-term plan to advance and support the femtech sector.

Jaya concludes: “The conference agenda is designed by leading FEMTECH experts. The action packed agenda will showcase keynote sessions, panel discussions and workshops. There is a special showcase series from India’s leading health innovators who have demonstrated usefulness of technology in improving healthcare for women.” 

Meet the members of the conference advisory board.

• Swathi Kulkarni, co-founder and chief executive officer of Elda Health, is regarded as one of India's top ten women's health innovators.

• Dr. Syeda Ruksheda, a renowned psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has a significant influence in the field of mental health

• Bharat Gera is a leader in the digital health transformation.

• Sujeet Katiyar, the head of the conference's Executive Committee and a renowned authority on regulatory compliance in healthcare and digital healthcare.

Conference details

Website for the conference: www.gwhic.com

• Dates: December 12–13, 2022

• Location: Mumbai Airport Holiday Inn

• Delegates can sign up for the conference using the early bird discount.