iKure Hosts Global Healthcare Workshop in Kolkata, Announces Japan Partnership and Healthcare Living Lab

NewsVoir
New Delhi [India], March 10: Global healthcare leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators from nine countries convened in Kolkata for the International Workshop 2026 on the Future of Healthcare Systems, organised by iKure Techsoft Pvt. Ltd. The two-day dialogue brought together experts from healthcare delivery, academia, technology, financing, and public health ecosystems to explore how health systems must evolve to address rising disease burdens and improve access to care. The workshop focused on practical pathways for strengthening healthcare systems, including non-communicable disease management, healthcare financing and outpatient access, med-tech innovation, resilient supply chains, and responsible data governance in digital health ecosystems.

A key highlight of the workshop was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between iKure and Japan-based METORI Inc. to advance technology-enabled eye screening and prevention of avoidable blindness in India. The collaboration will integrate portable ophthalmic diagnostic technologies with iKure's network of iCHAs (iKure Community Health Activists)--digitally enabled community health workers who support screening, early diagnosis, and referral services across underserved populations. Through this partnership, early detection programs will support the identification of conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and other vision-threatening disorders, enabling timely treatment and reducing preventable vision loss.
Another major announcement during the workshop was the digital launch of the Healthcare Living Lab, a district-scale multi-collaborative platform designed to accelerate the transition of healthcare solutions from proof-of-concept to real-world implementation. The Living Lab- designed by iKure and Jhpiego, with support from other collaborators will enable innovators to test and validate healthcare technologies and service models within real health system environments. Beginning in Maharashtra, the initiative will initially focus on strengthening maternal and newborn health pathways, generating evidence, and developing scalable solutions that can be adopted across India while also supporting local employment.
Across the sessions, participants emphasized that innovation alone is not sufficient to transform healthcare systems. For meaningful and lasting impact, solutions must be designed with scalability in mind and supported by sustainable financing, strong operational systems, and effective community-level delivery models.
Several key themes emerged from the discussions. Experts stressed the importance of shifting healthcare systems from hospital-centric models toward prevention, primary care, and outpatient services, particularly as non-communicable diseases continue to rise. The discussions also highlighted the growing need of predictive supply chains, data-driven decision making, and responsible governance of health data to strengthen trust and reliability within health systems.
"The conversations over these two days reaffirmed that the future of healthcare will not be built in hospitals alone -- it will be built in communities. Strengthening healthcare systems requires innovation, financing, and technology to work together with frontline delivery models that ensure continuity of care. At iKure, our vision is to continue building scalable, technology-enabled primary healthcare models that can strengthen health systems across India and other emerging markets, ensuring quality care reaches the last mile," said Mr. Sujay Santra, Founder and CEO of iKure Techsoft Pvt. Ltd.