Healthcare Supply Chain Portal 'Aarogyapath' was launched by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) on Friday to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies in view of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

During the present national health emergency arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein there is a severe disruption in the supply chain, the ability to produce and deliver the critical items may be compromised due to a variety of reasons, the app was developed to address these challenges.

It was developed with the vision of “providing a path which leads one on a journey towards Aarogya (healthy life).”

This integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goodscan be helpful to customers in tackling a number of routinely experienced issues. These issues include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify good quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardized products at reasonable prices within desired timelines, lack of awareness about the latest product launches, etc.

It also helps manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wide network of customers efficiently, overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centers like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, hospitals, etc.

It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products. 

Over time, analytics from this platform is expected to generate early signals to manufacturers on overcapacity as well as on looming shortages. This would help to reduce wastage of resources due to inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing, generate awareness about the demand for new technologies.

It was launched by Rajesh Bhushan, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The portal was developed in partnership with Sarvodaya Infotech and institutional users and manufacturers / authorized suppliers of healthcare essentials are encouraged to register and participate actively.