Roughly 5.8 million Indians die each year because of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart and lung diseases. Can we have a fair idea of how far our nation needs to go in terms of healthcare system improvement by knowing this fact? Sure we can.

Prevention is one important measure to keep safe from the diseases and proper treatment- the other, to control them. Considering the statistics revealed in the report, an urgent need of improving the comprehensive healthcare ecosystem in India is felt.

/ According to World Health Organization, about 1.7 million deaths every year in India are due to heart diseases alone.
/ According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 1 in every 10 adults will have diabetes in 2030.
/ In 2014, 70-90 cases of cancer were found per 100,000 populations in India. Cancer prevalence was established to be around 2,500,000 with over 800,000 new cases and 5, 50,000 deaths occurring each year.

What’s worse is that about 3.2 crore people go below the national poverty line by spending all their earnings, savings on treatments every year. So the failure of controlling one major problem is consequently increasing other problems.
Again, identification of this problem is one important part, coming up with the solutions- second, and bringing those solutions to actions- third. Following the need for better healthcare products and services, several government initiatives are in action, the scope for medical device industries has increased, and huge market base for healthcare software companies has formed.

Healthcare technology is the answer

IBEF reported that the Ministry of Health had targeted the development of 50 technologies in the FY16, for the treatment of diseases like Cancer & TB. This has only grown steadily in the past two years. In addition, the Indian Government has been emphasizing on the eHealth initiatives such as Mother & Child Tracking System (MCTS) & Facilitation Centre (MCTFC)

Areas where start-ups can build healthcare solutions –

/ telemedicine apps for far-off patients
/ preventive care solutions for the elderly, physically weak
/ mental health solutions for urban areas
/ eHealth solutions for rural areas
/ Mother and children-centric IT health solutions
/ cancer care and preventive IT solutions
/ preventive apps for chronic diseases
/ medicine administration apps for chronic diseases

/ The healthcare information technology market (IT) has US$ 1 billion of current value (April 2016) and is expected to grow 1.5 times by 2020.
/ Indian pharmaceutical firms supply more than 80% of the antiretroviral drugs all over the world to combat AIDS.
/ The share of healthcare spending in Gross Domestic Product is increasing and consequently, there is enough scope for enhancing healthcare services.

Following the trend of digitization, healthcare service providers have also started digitizing their services so as to maximize the benefits for themselves as well as the consumers. Here are a few examples of how some healthcare software companies managed to improve the healthcare interoperability:

Case study 1: Portea Medical

It is a consumer healthcare company held by HealthVista India. According to Medgenera, this company put its business to a boom by fetching $26 million in a series C funding round led by Sabre Partners and Manipal Group’s MEMG CDC fund.

/ The company provides online home medical care services including primary care, chronic disease management, elder care, and post-operative care.
bOther services that Portea is known for are diabetic care, doctor consultations, physiotherapy, new mother-baby care, and another teleconsultation.

Presently, the company is in collaboration with more than 50 leading hospitals, pharma and insurance companies in India.
Start-ups realize the power of Indian consumer internet and how it can benefit by providing quick, timely and cost-affordable healthcare services even in remote areas of the country.

Case study 2: Netmeds

It is no wonder that many internet healthcare and pharma start-ups bagged huge funding in 2017. Chennai-based online pharmacy Netmeds is one such success story. It raised as much as $14 million in October from Tanncam, a Cambodian investment holding company and Sistema Asia Fund, a venture firm.
Here’s how well some of the other start-ups managed to raise through integrated healthcare solutions:

According to Forbes, India is still facing Urban Vs. Rural divide when it comes to healthcare services. It’s saddening to know that our country has poor health infrastructure and low levels of health insurance. Millions of people in India die every year only because of poor access to proper clinical assistance.
However, start-ups are trying to reach the unreached and trying to build a more comprehensive healthcare ecosystem in India.

Vinfotech has built telemedicine solutions, e-prescriptions, coordinated care solutions, EMR software solutions and online healthcare communities among several healthcare IT solutions for progressive start-ups. With a varied portfolio and more than 10 years of experience in the field, we can help you create unique telehealth solutions to disrupt traditional healthcare systems. Do give us a call.