Role Of Healthcare Startups In Revolutionizing 'Accessible Healthcare' In India

https://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/role-of-healthcare-startups-in-revolutionizing-accessible-healthcare-in-india-144968.html

Accessible and affordable healthcare: an overview

“Accessible healthcare for all” is essentially the fourth basic element of life; this idea became prominent after the COVID’19 scare. The dynamic economy of India has initiated this process through public-private partnerships; a healthy collaboration between government regulations and private institutions. Along with a paradigm shift in primary healthcare, vaccination policies, and free surgery camps, it is good to know that there are over 5000 health tech startups in India alone, that have also made remote access to healthcare possible.

Role of healthcare startups in revolutionizing "accessible healthcare” in India:

During COVID-19 and its aftermath, we have seen diseases that are not specific to an area or a season anymore. These are also not directly linked to the lack of nutrition, hygiene, or any conceivable cause. Such a broad spectrum of patients required us to think out-of-the-box. This kicked off the importance of virtual medicine (otherwise called telemedicine) and at-home healthcare services.

HealthTech startups were integral to meeting the rising need for medical care. They generated novel ideas that improved people's access to medical care. From rural to urban, the internet and a basic phone are handy for most. Through these devices, accessing a doctor miles away in the city hospital is just a matter of a click!

Virtual medicine includes many aspects, for example:

• Booking an online video consultation.

• Taking a doctor’s appointment without having to visit the hospital repeatedly.

• Scheduling ambulance pick-ups.

• Receiving medicines at your doorstep in medical emergencies.

Certain government initiatives to make healthcare accessible to the masses involve the following:

• Setting up well-equipped hospitals in the peripheries of all main cities. These are different from primary healthcare and require larger investments. They are equipped with modern machinery required to treat any medical emergencies.

• Monthly health camps in several districts of each state can save people from travel. Only selected cases that cannot be treated locally get referred to the city hospitals.

• Improving sanitary facilities and clean drinking water supply round the clock. The ‘Swachh Bharat Mission” (SBM) by the Indian government and the “WASH” program implemented by UNICEF India have been instrumental in this area.

The rise of comprehensive healthcare: a crucial aspect of accessible medical care.

There is a lot going on to keep your body in shape. But what about keeping your mind and soul equally healthy?

KIRAN is one such initiative by the Indian government that was launched in the year 2020. It is a 24*7 toll-free helpline for Indians who seek counseling or therapy. Similarly, there are a plethora of private health tech startups that are using AI (artificial intelligence) to provide support sessions for people worldwide.

But the question still remains, accessible healthcare doesn't necessarily mean affordable healthcare, right?

If a healthcare project can reach the masses, it also has to empower them to use it. India is a hub of financial variety, with a huge section of the population below the poverty line. Thus, health and its related services have to be for all. Of course, the options and services can vary, but not the quality of care. After all, it is health that we are talking about.

To discuss a few governmental initiatives to make healthcare economically available:

• The Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) was established in 2015 with the objective of supplying affordable and high-quality medicine to Indian citizens.

• Ayushman Bharat Yojana, or National Health Protection Mission, is a program that aims to create a new India that is healthy, capable, and content. It will also focus on the poor and vulnerable segments of society. Each family will be insured for up to 5 lakh rupees. The new scheme also aims to improve secondary and tertiary healthcare services for millions of Indians.

Few examples of how tech-savvy startups are also contributing towards affordable healthcare:

• Using AI to automate the screening and analysis of health data (mainly in pathology and eye examinations). These are software that are capable of screening samples of blood, semen, urine, and photograph-based images of different diseased body parts. The screened results are then forwarded to a doctor to prepare the final reports. It saves lab time from 2 days to 15 minutes, and also the overhead costs.

• AI-based non-invasive breast cancer screening is essential. A healthtech brand has created a low-cost, radiation-free, non-touch software-based medical device to detect breast cancer in women. Its popularity stems from its ability to detect cancer faster than self-examination and at a lower cost than traditional diagnostics.

These are just a few examples; there are a thousand more that we are yet to know.

Takeaway

The surge of interest in India's healthcare is to bridge the large gap between patients and caretakers as well as meet the demands for remote healthcare caused by the pandemic and lockdowns.

It will be interesting to see how the industry will come together and collaborate in its efforts to take healthcare even to the remotest parts of the country, with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog promising that the country will meet the accepted doctor to patient ratio by 2024.