Roche & VinCense Join Hands to Enhance Diabetes Care Access in TN

Under the agreement, the partnership aims to screen 100,000 individuals over the next two years for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Roche, a leading healthcare company, has forged a strategic collaboration with VinCense, a digital health monitoring provider under MedIoTek Health Systems, to bolster access to diabetes care in Tamil Nadu.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities seeks to implement three key programs in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, focusing on screening, intervention, and management of metabolic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and associated comorbidities.

Under the agreement, the partnership aims to screen 100,000 individuals over the next two years for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Additionally, interventions will be initiated for the management of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis-diabetes mellitus comorbidities. The collaboration will leverage integrated digital health solutions to enable early detection, intervention, and a continuum of care for residents of Tamil Nadu.

Addressing a Growing Concern

The prevalence of diabetes and other metabolic NCDs in India has become a pressing issue, with a significant rise witnessed across various states. According to the ICMR-INDIAB-17 study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, urgent state-specific initiatives and interventions are imperative to curb this escalating epidemic.

Omar Sherief Mohammad, cluster head, India, Middle East & Africa, Roche Diabetes Care, said, "At Roche, we believe in forming partnerships in the communities to use the power of collective impact in creating sustainable improvements to health and healthcare systems."

The partnership between Roche and VinCense aims to develop a robust technology-driven healthcare delivery platform. This platform will align with the government’s National Digital Health Mission, facilitating the creation of a comprehensive digital healthcare ecosystem.

Sharing insights, Sharmila Devadoss, MD, MedIoTek Health Systems, emphasized integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance health outcomes. She stated, "By joining hands with Roche, we believe that this integration of cutting-edge technology will enable comprehensive recording of essential health information and development of personalized dashboards for deep health insights."

Successful Pilot Phase

This move comes after a successful pilot initiative conducted between December 2022 and September 2023 in collaboration with the Directorate of Public Health, Tamil Nadu.

The pilot, focusing on NCD screening and management in the Madurai district, screened 67, 370 individuals. Learnings from this pilot phase will inform strategies to enhance efficiency and scalability, setting new standards for accessible and technology-driven healthcare.

The partnership between Roche and VinCense integrates Roche's expertise in driving large-scale public healthcare programs with VinCense's innovative mHealth Platform.

This collaboration will enable the centralized recording of vital health data and the generation of customized dashboards for detailed health insights.

Through interventions, individuals identified with diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis-diabetes comorbidities will receive comprehensive care to manage their conditions effectively.

Roche’s Latest Healthcare Developments

Roche aims to make diagnostic services affordable and accessible to the masses by harnessing the power of technology and data integration. The digital healthcare platform offers agility and scalability, allowing for quick deployments and innovations in healthcare delivery.

Recently, AstraZeneca Pharma signed a MoU with Roche Diagnostics India to enhance diagnostic testing for breast cancer patients. The collaboration aims to streamline HER2 diagnostics, offering comprehensive training initiatives for pathologists and medical oncologists, ultimately improving treatment strategies for metastatic breast cancer patients in India.

Also, in July last year, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai introduced Total Lab Automation (TLA) powered by Roche Diagnostics, aimed at enhancing patient care through preventive healthcare measures. Total Lab Automation revolutionizes traditional laboratory processes, resulting in faster and more reliable test results, thus advancing healthcare delivery.