Introduction
The Healthcare system chosen for this report is Aster DM Healthcare. They are a top super-specialty Healthcare provider in United Arab Emirates, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman with premium healthcare facilities. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge to various Healthcare organizations and institutions. The World Health Organization determined that the goal in responding to this pandemic is for all nations to control it by slowing down the transmission and reduce the mortality rates associated with COVID-19. The WHO proposed various global strategic objectives to deal with the pandemics’ demand. Aster DM Healthcare successfully implemented these objectives and emerged as one of the organizations that helped in successfully containing this virus in the United Arab Emirates.
Review of the Healthcare Strategies
The WHO proposed various specific Healthcare strategies to assist nations with battling the pandemic. They were to mobilize the community to respond to the pandemic appropriately, control the sporadic cases and clusters, prevent community transmission, suppress community transmission, reduce COVID-19-related mortality rates, and develop safe and effective vaccine therapies (WHO, 2020). Aster DM Healthcare responded to this call by enhancing its political, economic, social, and technological innovation strategies to meet COVID-19 demands. Please see Table 1, which details the strategies implemented.
Table 1. PEST Analysis
Political Strategies
The political environment is a significant factor in the operation of the Aster DM Healthcare institutions. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Aster DM Healthcare clinics have worked with the UAE authorities in successfully tackling this crisis. It has partnered with the government and relevant healthcare stakeholders across its geographical locations to ensure enhanced and continuous support to the community and improve its healthcare system (Moopen, n. d.). Therefore, this strategy impacted the community positively, as it assisted with restraining the causes of COVID-19 from spreading. However, there are limited government regulations in India to support and enable the successful implementation of telemedicine, AI technology, and virtual healthcare management. This poses a significant threat in implementing the WHO’s recommended advanced mass testing, follow-up, and readmission.
Previously, in UAE, the government did not allow complete legal ownership of foreign investment companies to non-locals. However, recently, the government has allowed 100% legal ownership to foreign businesses, which has permitted Aster to ensure they have crossed their subsidiaries’ 100% legal ownership. This situation has allowed it to be entirely responsible for its operations without significant ownership hurdles during the pandemic. Additionally, Aster ensures they regularly monitor their legal environment, renew their business licenses, and follow and comply with all government and healthcare rules and regulations of their operation geographical regions (Aster DM healthcare, n. d.). These ensure they maintain a smooth operation within these regions.
Economic Strategies
The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed Aster DM Healthcare to diversify its business model in various ways. Firstly, in Dubai, Aster DM Healthcare and NMC Healthcare partnered with Fly Dubai to offer passengers flying to Dubai polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in Aster’s and NMC’s facilities at special rates of AED 150 (Laboratories for PCR testing, n. d.). Fly Dubai encourages their passengers to arrange their testing with their flight schedule to ensure authentic test results and reports are delivered within 24 hours of testing (Laboratories for PCR testing, n. d.). Passengers receive their testing results at various selected laboratories in their destination. However, these testing services are not offered to children below age 12, passengers diagnosed with severe disabilities, and those transiting in Dubai unless required by their final destination. Concurrently, they are required to meet the entry rules and regulations of their transit and final destinations. Therefore, the outcome of this strategy illustrated the willingness of people to take tests when flying to various countries.
The involvement of Aster DM Healthcare in corporate social responsibility (CSR) had enhanced the economic environment for its community and the populations across their geographic locations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly resulted in a 35% decrease in India and Gulf Cooperation Council entities (PTI, 2020). Aster DM Healthcare responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring they watch all of their CapEx and operation costs (PTI, 2020). They stalled their current projects until the entire economic environment returns to normal (PTI, 2020). These actions justify their strategy of ensuring they discontinue loss-making operations. Additionally, they confirmed they continued servicing their debt and maintained they had enough capital to continue their operations (PTI, 2020). They are reaching banks for additional working capital limits to aid them in addressing emergencies in the future (PTI, 2020). These strategies allow them to prevent adverse economic crises that might arise as the pandemic scavenges the financial markets.
Social Strategies
Aster DM Healthcare has continued with its social strategies in enhancing its healthcare services in its regions of operations. Aster has continued to maintain a healthy relationship with their healthcare workforce and patients during this pandemic and to advance their social initiatives and developments to revolutionize the healthcare industry of the Middle East (Aster DM Healthcare, n. d.). Globally, this pandemic has caused a significant financial crisis for individuals and businesses. Even during the pandemic, Aster DM Healthcare has constantly fulfilled its brand promise of ensuring quality healthcare is accessible to all its patients and communities across its region and in northern Africa (Moopen, n. d.). Aster DM Healthcare has involved its entities in several corporate social responsibilities in their geographical locations. Aster Volunteers Program is fundamental to a considerable number of its corporate initiatives (Moopen, n. d.). They have made efforts to enhance the health and sustainability of the societies around their healthcare institutions.
Aster DM Healthcare recognized the hurdles the communities within their geographical coverage are facing during the crisis. Therefore, it partnered with the CSR arm of the organization and announced to donate 10000 magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography scan medical investigations in the next year across the geographical coverage of its entities (India CSR Network, 2020). This provides the underprivileged patients and those under financial distress due to the pandemic access to proper diagnosis and accurate treatment, which proves its successful impact. The social initiatives of Aster DM Healthcare through Aster Volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed for its recognition and honored with two prestigious awards (GCC states Aster DM Healthcare honored, 2020). Moreover, it supplied food and ration kits to over 300000 lives, screened more than 29000 persons through medical camps, and reached more than 453000 persons through webinars (GCC states Aster DM Healthcare honored, 2020). Additionally, it has distributed more personal protective equipment, attended to more distressed patients through calls, transported patients to Dubai by their Aster Volunteers Mobile Services team, and increased the bed capacity in COVID-19 in Al Warsan and Jebel Ali.
Technological Strategies
Adoption of technology in the hospital environment is not a new endeavor. However, few hospitals in India have fully adopted technological trends to supplement their regular healthcare activities (Aggarwal, 2020). Aster DM Healthcare institutions have adopted Artificial Intelligence, virtual healthcare management, and telemedicine to battle this pandemic. Some of the AI technologies adopted are digital symptom checkers and chatbots trained with advanced modeling that aid in understanding and taking patients’ queries and providing them with access to improved healthcare (Aggarwal, 2020). Aster DM Healthcare uses AI-based medical-grade mental wellness chatbots to relieve patients’ anxiety and stress (Aggarwal, 2020). Additionally, Wysa supports Aster and their research team by assisting them in developing a virtual platform to treat patients suffering from various forms of mental illness arising from this pandemic (Aggarwal, 2020). AI technology has impacted healthcare by speeding up administrative tasks ad facilitating remote healthcare through telecommunication.
The WHO recommended social distancing as one of the strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Aster DM Healthcare hospitals’ adoption of telemedicine has helped slow the transmission of the virus (Aggarwal, 2020). However, implementing telemedicine in India is a challenge because it has insufficient policies and regulations to propel its success (Aggarwal, 2020). The current political environment does not allow the development and widespread adoption of an advanced telemedicine system in India. Additionally, Aster’s hospitals have adopted the Internet-of-Things-based medical devices that collect patient’s data on their healthcare and travels. This data is used in making accurate decisions, saving time, and minimizing risk and error.
The WHO recommends nations ensure regular testing and follow-up on patients infected with COVID-19. Aster DM Healthcare conducts radiology tests trained with advanced AI technology to analyze and diagnose COVID-19-associated pneumonia. This AI technology determines the disease progression, prognosis, and management. Additionally, Aster DM Healthcare has initiated a free COVID-19 24/7 Support Centre for its patients and Indian citizens. Moreover, it has leveraged social media to facilitate Indian residents to register in any of their health institutions and book an appointment with their internal medicine and emergency experts. Through a video call, these sessions are conducted in adherence to the WHO’s and local authorities’ guidelines for treating COVID-19 patients. These tactics have led to a significant increase in teleconsultation in Aster Healthcare facilitates during the pandemic (Aster DM Healthcare, n. d.). In preparation for the future, Aster continues to automate existing healthcare technologies innovating platforms to monitor disease and virus expansion without geographical barriers.
Conclusion
Aster has adhered to all the COVID-19 national strategies by implementing various strategies in their firms. They executed their political plan by working and partnership with the responsible stakeholders and abiding by their operating regions’ laws to ensure a smooth operation. Aster DM Healthcare implemented its economic strategy by making the necessary economic adjustments to efficiently operate in the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It implemented its social strategy by continuing its social initiatives and enhancing its relationship with its workforce and patients. Aster implemented its technological strategy by improving its adoption of technology in healthcare. The impacts of the stated methods have proven to be relatively successful.
References
Aggarwal, N. (2020). How Aster DM is using AI to amplify healthcare to combat COVID-19. Economic Times CIO. Web.
Aster DM Healthcare ltd Management Discussions: Live Share Prices. India Infoline Securities. Web.
GCC states Aster DM Healthcare honored for its CSR and COVID-19 efforts. BioSpectrum Asia Edition. Web.
India Corporate Social Responsibility Network [India CSR Network]. (2020). CSR: Aster DM Healthcare to provide 10,000 free medical investigations. Web.
Laboratories for PCR testing. Fly Dubai. Web.
Moopen, A. (n.d.). Going beyond business to make a sustainable impact in people’s lives. Naseba. Web.
Press Trust of India [PTI]. (2020). COVID-19 impact: Aster DM Healthcare sees 35% fall in India and Gulf revenues. The Economic Times. Web.
World Health Organization. (2020). Covid-19 strategy update. Web.