Introducing NURA, The Japanese Technology Aided Preventive Health Screening That Vouches For Optimal Quality Of Life

Here’s all you need to know about NURA bringing the best of Japanese high-end technology-enabled preventive health screening to India.

Preventive healthcare that includes the measures taken for disease prevention plays a significant role in determining one’s health condition, especially among older adults. It considerably reduces the potential risk of conditions like Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer which are the top killers in India. Studies show that preventive health screening also increases life expectancy without increasing costs. A preventive health checkup aids in detecting diseases at an early stage and helps in avoiding or slowing down disease progression to help you age better. Eventually, it reduces healthcare costs as, through timely check-ups, one can avoid costly medical services.

Despite the obvious benefits that preventive health check-ups provide, it is still not common practice among Indians. Reasons vary from lack of awareness on the importance of preventive healthcare to existing misconceptions and scare about the same. It was no different for Chitra Nair, a Bengaluru-based creative professional working in the senior care industry until she visited NURA, a collaboration of Fujifilm Healthcare & Dr Kutty’s Healthcare, bringing the best of Japanese high-end technology-enabled preventive health screening to India.

“Thanks to my 120 minutes long health screening experience at NURA, all my apprehensions of taking the much needed yet dreaded annual health screening turned into a pleasant and comfortable exercise,” says Nair.

Nair was at ease right from the time of booking the appointment and coordinating with NURA’s front desk executives. They followed up, sent reminders and promised her a wonderful experience. The experience at NURA for a medical appointment felt more like a Zen-like spa and Nair drifted into a sense of calm as she walked in and was guided to her scheduled tests.

“At no point in time did I have to check on which room I had to go next, who I had to meet or wait to be attended to. All of this is what makes the usual annual health screening an uphill task. The CT scan which I usually find extremely scary and oftentimes pushed aside because of the high radiation was surprisingly relaxing and quick. The final consultation with the doctor was extremely clear and broken down to easily understandable jargon. It is because of the hand holding right from the onset of the process, the top-notch hospitality by each and every team member at NURA and the cutting edge AI features smoothly integrated to make a comprehensive health screening feel absolutely stress free, quick and accurate that I would highly recommend a health screening at NURA, especially for senior citizens,” she adds.

Conceptualisation of NURA in India and its impact

According to the World Health Organisation’s 2014 Global Health Statistics, Japanese people have an average lifespan of 84 years and are known to have the longest life expectancy in the world. While men have an average of 80 years and are 8th in the world, women are number one at 87 years old.

“One of the reasons behind Japanese longevity is its prevention culture that is achieved through the nation-wide annual health screening for cancer and other lifestyle diseases. This does not exist in India and hence, we decided to launch NURA, the Japanese way of advanced full body health screening center in India. Our aim is to increase the survival rate by early detection and provide this service extensively across over 100 centers,” says Mr. Masaharu Morita, New Business Manager, FUJIFILM (Tokyo).

Over the last three months since its inception in India, NURA has observed people being able to see the inside of their bodies through AI-enabled imaging and not just via the usual blood tests, realise the importance of preventive health screenings to stay away from future risks and make lifestyle changes to bar the progression of diseases. “Around 10 to 20 percent of the guests who opted for a preventive health screening at NURA till now were found to have some kind of health abnormalities and were put on treatment,” says Morita.

Why is Japanese tech-enabled preventive health screening important?

Screening helps you identify previously unrecognised health risks. Japan’s rate of early detection of lifestyle diseases like cancer compared to India is a proof of how adopting Japanese technology of preventive health screening can lead to early detection and reduce India’s burden of these chronic conditions.

Morita says, “In India, cancer tends to be detected only in the more advanced stages. On the contrary, early detection in Japan due to mandatory annual preventive screening shows better survival rate. The Japanese survival rate from Cancer is 70 per cent and it is less than 30 per cent in India. NURA uses the latest Japanese ultra radiation CT that is equivalent to a chest X-Ray or a round trip from India to the USA or exposure to one week of natural radiation. NURA’s breast cancer screening equipment can detect very early stages of cancer by 3D digital Mammography and AI technology with confirmation by a doctor and the procedure is not painful unlike other procedures.”

NURA also conducts heart calcium scoring through ultra low radiation CT imaging which visibly identifies the risk of a heart attack. Heart attack is the leading cause of death in India and its risk rate has become higher with the Coronavirus pandemic. NURA’s heart calcium scoring enables you to detect your heart calcium score visibly before and after the pandemic and helps you to stay safe.

All that NURA offers

A 120 minutes screening program that lets you stay in control of your health: NURA’s screening program helps you address concerns you might have about your health. They test for the most common cancers and lifestyle diseases in men and women so that you are not caught off guard by an unforeseen health risk. The screening does not require you to fast.

Their advanced imaging technology lets them do more with less: The AI-assisted devices from Fujifilm allow them to deliver intelligent scanning and predictions at ultra-low doses of radiation. This means that you’re always screened using optimal amounts of radiation, allowing for safe and regular screening.

Gender-specific screening packages: NURA’s packages include tests for the most common cancers and lifestyle diseases in men and women.

Reports that are easy to understand: You receive a comprehensive health report on the same day that is easy to read and you won’t need a doctor to decipher for you.

Interiors you’d love to spend time in: NURA is an annual health screening center for asymptomatic people and is very different from a hospital or a diagnostic center where ailing patients come in. NURA treats you as a guest in a hotel with luxurious facilities and personal assistants going around with you throughout your entire screening journey. Expect short waits and an infection control environment.

Digital health records: You get to access your health records anytime through the NURA website or app.

Independent opinions you can trust: NURA doctors provide you with an objective diagnosis based on AI-enhanced screening tests. The general physician explains the report organ by organ, it’s easy to understand.

Excellent post-screening support: Their strong network of partners helps you complete the cycle of care.

If you are a wellness enthusiast, who believes that prevention is better than cure and wants to detect an anomaly at the earliest, visit NURA to experience preventive health screening in just two hours’ time. Your experience is likely to be luxurious, hassle-free, painless and tech-empowered. Visit NURA’s website (https://nura.in/lp/thenuraexperience/) and register for your slot booking. See how time flies while getting your vitals checked.

Please note that this is a promotional feature.

Image Courtesy: NURA