I write this in the grief of losing my very dear friend “A”, a buddy since about 6^th grade and cricket grounds. In 44 years of my absence from India, he never forgot me. During the COVID19 pandemic, I called on him from the USA to help guide some local undergrads in our hometown in India to build an Adaptive Ventilator. Their faculty gave up – we felt like Messi, fighting our way to the penalty box and passing across the goalmouth to Mbappe who only had to tap it in, but instead sits down on the ball and starts painting his nails. But another buddy re-did the design and A actually built it in his shop, got it working, and we got a Peer-Reviewed Publication [1] at the IEEE Conference in lovely Mauritius at the height of the pandemic. I presented from my kitchen table a.k.a. Galactic HQ as I did all over the Globe in those 2 years of Lockdown.

The paper is on a concept called Ayurveda-Led Diagnostic Telemedicine (ALDT). It was born at the last Panel at the 1^st Abdul Kalam Conference at IITM, Chennai in July 2019 on “Sustainable Growth at Sustainable Cost” [2]. This idea argues that an Ayurvedic Clinic (I have no idea about the YUSH of AYUSH, sorry) should ideally serve as the First Point of Contact for 99% of Indians. For both routine Wellness guidance and healthcare when needed. But backed by no-compromise Diagnostics, and Telemedicine, all tied to the best experts anywhere. Seems naïve? Ridiculous? It was proved beyond all doubt within a year!  It worked heroically during the Pandemic. India’s little-known eSanjeevini.gov Telemedicine Portal [3] was staffed 24-7, both AYUSH and Allopathy doctors taking turns along with those brave ASHA people, to guide patients over the phone, in their own language, and convey written prescriptions. Proved our point about the Telemedicine part.

But after the Pandemic, India’s medical establishment, despite the excellent AYUSH ministry and PM medical stores [4], appears to be slow in resuming the gains and lessons from the Pandemic. Petty stuff still obstructs. Which is why I keep plodding rather than racing forward. In 2022 we presented a Concept Study for a Pilot project, centred on Uttar Pradesh [5].

This year I am presenting this [6] at the upcoming WAVES conference in the USA. I hope they don’t mind that I give this 10-minute preview of our full paper. The official one will come in due course. You see, those few days’ lead time may save lives. And I am tired of procrastinating.

And angry.

I am kicking myself. I wrote papers and wasted time talking to people who did not want to listen, had no interest, would not read on WhatsApp, would not click on a YouTube link, let alone actually read a research paper and think. But I did not ACT myself. I could have got my buddy to start using the Diagnostics for which we argued in our papers, if nothing else. Maybe, maybe not, but I did not try while I had the time – and that was all the time he had. I have no stock in this company called AliveCor, but since 2021, I have their little gizmo called KardiaMobile 6L [7]. Since we got old enough for Medicare, my employer’s insurance in the USA happily dumped us on Medicare – who would not approve our annual electrocardiogram (ECG) checkups. I guess they like the idea of fewer people on Medicare. What this gizmo does is that in 1 minute, I can get (what they say is) the equivalent of a 6-Lead ECG. On my phone. One gizmo can serve any number of people, each with their phone. It is the first useful example of “AI” I have seen, predating “AI” on my browser.

It compares those six 30-second traces with a database of Good, Bad and Ugly. I suppose only if one’s trace looks Ugly will it alert as Abnormal. They say clearly that it does not “check for Heart Attack”. If you think you are getting one, don’t mess around looking for devices; get emergency medical help! But it also provides a record. And a competent doc (Ayurvaidyas are competent for this, or they can get help from expert colleagues) can easily compare a new record with an old one and see if something has changed. And blow the whistle for serious care.

Look around you. Given the attrition rate of my dear friends, I think massive cardiac arrest, as “nice” a way as it is of making one’s exit, is shockingly common, across a wide spectrum of ages. I have now lost at least FIVE people dear to me to this, only one older than me. Which is why I am writing this.

The gizmo is too expensive for everyone to buy in India. But surely, a couple of devices at every Ayurvedic Clinic, along with a way to store and compare traces with a competent physician, is so easy! Or a family, or group of friends, or a club at a workplace, can get a few of these. If that saves ONE life by getting swift medical attention, I will have won, in my buddy’s memory. Please think about it. If there are good alternatives, more power to them too. But sincere thanks to the Kardia (AliveCor) people – somewhere I heard that some of them are desis too. Always the best.

So again, for my dear Attention-Challenged Go-Getters who scan this article, what is my point? Simple. That millions of lives can be at least extended very easily, given the growing cardiac problems, with a little bit of attention. Perhaps yours. Or of those closest to you. This is just ONE of many things that you could potentially get with an occasional stroll to a local Ayurveda Clinic, no need for expensive all-day waits at Mega Hospitals. Things have changed; opportunities have grown. We CAN bring top-quality wellness and healthcare to everyone where they live – and let them live longer and happier. Is that worth a few minutes of attention? A call to a lawmaker? A Tweet to an Hon. Mantri? A Vote-seeker? Administrator?

Read my papers. The life you extend and improve may be your own, or better yet, of someone dear to you. That is my tribute to my friend who always looked out for others.

Vande Mataram

References

1. N. Komerath, A. G. Kamath, D. P. Kottarathil, R. Deepak and A. Deepak, "Open Architecture for Ayurveda-Led Diagnostic Telemedicine," 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer, Communications and Mechatronics Engineering (ICECCME), Mauritius, Mauritius, 2021, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ICECCME52200.2021.9590953. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9590953
2. Telemedicine Portal eSanjeevani OPD https://esanjeevani.mohfw.gov.in/#/
3. IIT Madras hosts first Abdul Kalam conference on 'Sustainable Development at Sustainable Cost'. India Today, July 11, 2019. https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/iit-madras-hosts-first-abdul-kalam-conference-on-sustainable-development-at-sustainable-cost-1566783-2019-07-11
4. 4. “JanaAushadhi”. Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jana Aushadhi Pariyojana. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Department of Pharmaceuticals. https://janaushadhi.gov.in
5. Komerath, Narayanan. A Rural-Centered Diagnostic Telemedicine Architecture. World Journal for Vedic Studies. Vol. 27(2) 2022.
6. Narayanan M. Komerath and Padmavathy P. Komerath. Ayurveda-Led Diagnostic Telemedicine: Patient Perspective. https://www.stratcepts.net/advanced-concepts/ayurveda-led-diagnostic-telemedicine
7. AliveCor KardiaMobile 6L. Available in India at Amazon.in