Enhance healthcare access in India
The unique demographic composition of India poses a great challenge in providing the whole population with healthcare access – a goal which is high on the priority list of the Indian government. During the Preparatory Seminar of Focus India 2020 we had the chance to listen to different speakers about how healthcare access and the lack thereof came about and how it could be tackled.
The Indian healthcare landscape ranges from state-of-the-art high tech medical centres to healthcare subcentres in rural regions (with a clear lack of skilled personnel). With the mega trend of urbanization this range is likely to widen further, presenting even more complexity in the future. India has both private and public healthcare systems which are regulated at federal and state levels. The public healthcare delivery system is primarily operated by the state governments and financed by taxes. Only civil servants, the military, and railway employees are enrolled in a mandatory health insurance program. The private sector healthcare however is not well regulated and is mostly financed by out-of-pocket (OOP) payments – healthcare costs that a patient incurs and are not covered by insurance.
Dr. Selim Aydin from Novartis
Due to the immense economic growth India experiences as well as future predictions of high growth in the health market, international companies are interested in gaining access to this market. During the Preparatory Seminar we had the pleasure to witness the presentation from Minhaj Obeidullah and Dr Selim Aydin from Novartis and their ties to India. Dr Selim Aydin helped to set up the Medical Office & Patient Safety team in Hyderabad, India in 2007 with only 7 employees. Today it employs over 250 people. According to Obeidullah, there are several main drivers of pharmaceutical companies to move or to do business in India. Firstly, an increasing cost efficiency with a high economic growth and furthermore, the good policy support that has been established by authorities. The government has a strong interest in following the “Pharma Vision 2020” and aims to make India a global leader in end-to-end drug manufacturing. In addition, the country experiences an increasing private sector investment in research & development and acquisitions, which are driving the sector growth.
However, healthcare access or the lack thereof still is one of the biggest issues in India. Nonetheless, over the past three decades, providing access to healthcare has become an increasingly important goal for the government. Since 1990, the number of Indians living with diabetes and the number of deaths due to heart disease have both doubled. In fighting such health issues, India has to take a different approach to improving healthcare coverage due to its demographic composition: India has the world’s largest rural population and the world’s largest population in poverty.
The speakers we had from DFN (dignity freedom network) are some of the dedicated helpers in helping people to access medical care. DFN focuses on distributing healthcare amongst the weakest and most vulnerable members of society in India. Furthermore, they provide skills training and education. DFN defines amongst the biggest obstacles to healthcare access geographical isolation, poverty, lack of education and illiteracy, caste system, gender and age.
Geographical isolation leads to a minimized accessibility which hinders the transport of information and consequently thus causes a limitation to get or reach out for help in time. Poverty plays another influential part since oftentimes, either the costs of transportation to the next hospital or doctor or the out-of-pocket (OOP) payments are not feasible. Poverty also has many follow-up problems. People get caught in the downwards spiral of debt as they lend money for treatments they cannot afford or they sell vital items like a car, which further impacts their mobility. The lack of education or illiteracy is another big factor and most often a cofactor to poverty. Marginalized groups such as women and Dalits are also subject to limitations when it comes to healthcare access. Dalits are the lowest member of the caste system and are not treated by many doctors, as it is prohibited to have any form of contact with them. Furthermore, the big gender inequality causes women to be more vulnerable and dependant on a man since they do not receive the same education as men and are not financially independent. Therefore, one of the main goals of DFN is to help women and Dalits to receive the help they need.
“The most important factor to help people is through education. It is the key factor to finding a way out of poverty, dependency and vulnerability. An educated woman knows better where, when and how to access and find help medical treatment.” – DFN
The Indian government is taking steps to tackle the problem of healthcare access in India. They are currently planning to introduce a government health insurance for all people to address the large disparities between rural and urban populations as a key improvement. Today, also the patient’s medical journey is subject to digitalisation. New web-based technology such as electronic help record or a help hotline via social technologies offer many possibilities to help more people getting the healthcare they need.
The award-winning Swiss telemedicine company, Medgate, might contribute to a solution to India’s challenge of access to healthcare. For India, Medgate’s vision of digital healthcare such as telemedicine holds big potential and ultimately could help many people to get help faster, easier and cheaper.
Medgate provides their customers with several healthcare services such as Tele Clinic, Mini Clinic and a specialised App. Interesting for the Indian market is the model of Tele Clinic, where customers are able to call a doctor and receive advice from the comfort of their home. In case a medical report is needed, a PDF Version can simply be sent to the patient. This flexible service is available 24/7 and can be used everywhere – even abroad. In addition to Tele Clinic, the Medgate App might be another way to provide Indians with the basic healthcare. People tend to google their symptoms before they seek professional advice anyway but with the service of Medgate, people can check their symptoms with answering a few questions and thanks to the app using Artificial Intelligence get an immediate feedback. The feedback contains a diagnosis and suggestions for treatment.
“Every person should have access to healthcare – no matter where and when.” – Medgate
Henri Saenz from Medgate
Taking into account the above mentioned measures, digital healthcare could increase prevention through reliable information on the medical app, act as a symptom checker through artificial intelligence and offer treatment through Tele Clinic. It is not through coincidence that Medgate has become the largest telemedical centre in Europe and is increasingly in demand in other continents.
All in all, the topic of healthcare access remains complex and despite many efforts, there is still a long way to go. However, during the Preparatory Seminar we were able to listen to many different speakers who are all trying to make a difference. The increase of Swiss-Indo collaboration in the field of healthcare should mean that India’s population will experience improvements soon.
– Written by Patricia Bleuel