How mHealth is Changing the Face of Indian Healthcare Sector? A recent joint report by PwC and the CII states that mHealth is expected to be crucial in making healthcare accessible in India.

By Nidhi Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

The Indian healthcare sector is growing at a fast pace because of increasing investments from government and private players. With nearly 70 percent of country's population living in rural areas, lack of critical medical facilities such as hospitals and clinics are in total disarray. With the rise of mobile technologies, the health apps are growing rapidly in the Indian market. As a result, mHealth (mobile delivery of healthcare) is gaining ground in India.

A recent joint report by PwC and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) states that mHealth is expected to be crucial in making healthcare accessible in India. Also, it has the potential to save the country $0.8-1 billion annually. It is time for the healthcare ecosystem to explore various mHealth apps, device integration, and sensor technology seriously and start benefitting from it.

Entrepreneur India spoke to few start-ups in India to know how mHealth can change India's healthcare space.

Empower People to Take Control of Their Health:

mHealth is a huge opportunity for the healthcare market as well as people in India.

Nita Soans CEO Kaiterra India feels this can go a long way in helping people be more in control of their health, be more aware and better educated about symptoms for various diseases which shouldn't go unchecked, their health risks as well as, precautionary measures one can take to protect oneself.

"A good example is air quality related health apps that could give you an alert when the air quality in your home or locality goes above safe limits. Without an alert, you will never know when to protect your family with masks and purifiers. This is a huge problem in North India right now where there are just a few weeks in a year that have clean air by WHO standards," shared Soans

Carry Health Data on Smartphone:

For Gagan Kapur, Co-founder & CEO, EasyBuyHealth, the definition of 'Mobile Healthcare' is the ability for any individual to carry their own and their family's health data on their Hand-held devices.

"It is counter-intuitive how we as consumers have ported almost all information about our lives (Friends, Vacations, Food, Finance etc.), but haven't made the leap to warehouse all our health data on the smartphones we carry," said Kapur

Many companies have also made feeble attempts to port their customer's personal health records, online. Google has moved in this direction and most recently Amazon announced a big investment in this area.

Kapur emphasized that it is only inevitable that 'Mobile-Healthcare' will indeed happen.

"India, like China, is rightly positioned to step into this direction, with our cell phone penetration, our demographics, and rising healthcare needs," he added.

Bringing Expert to Smart Cities:

Increasing usage of smartphones and internet among the general population has surely helped to cross one barrier that is delivering best health care to all.

From maintaining a report to getting an expert opinion is always a tough task because it not only involves medical expenses but travelling and accommodation expenses also come along with it.

Abhishek Mishra Founder & CEO, MeListo, pointed out that mobile healthcare brings experts to small cities and give the excess to the general population for the care they deserve.

"mHealth has various benefits like access to expert and specialized health care for everyone, improvising how doctors see the medical history of a patient, transfer of data to right channel and reducing stress, time and expenses of patients," said Mishra

Nidhi Singh

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia-Pacific

A self confessed Bollywood Lover, Travel junkie and Food Evangelist.I like travelling and I believe it is very important to take ones mind off the daily monotony .

Related Topics

Leadership

How to Win Over the Room With Effective Persuasion Skills

The art of persuasion is not just about the notes, the data, and the pitch; it's about creating a connection that resonates with the audience. We explore how a blend of story, active listening, and genuine interaction can not only capture attention but also win hearts and minds, setting the stage for achieving success in any meeting.

Leadership

Great Leaders Must Be Great Coaches — Here's How to Become One

To be a successful leader, you must become an expert in how to help others grow and develop. Here's a research-driven approach for entrepreneurial leaders to coach and effectively develop their teams.

Buy a Franchise

Learn the Secrets of Running 20+ Businesses as a Side Hustle — Finding and Nurturing Your 'STIC People'

Explore the critical importance of choosing the right franchise manager and the innovative 'STIC' approach.

Culture

4 Ways to Maintain Company Culture in the Age of Constant Change

While this is a golden age of innovation, it's up to you to determine whether your company glitters from that gold.

Living

'I Haven't Ticked All the Boxes Yet.' Hilary Duff Reveals Her Next Venture After More Than 2 Decades in the Spotlight — and the Surprisingly Relatable Key to Her Enduring Success

The actor talks entrepreneurship, secrets to success and her latest role as chief brand director for Below 60°, a product line of air fragrances.

Marketing

5 Link-Building Tips to Help You Rank on Page 1

Link building is one of the most challenging parts of any SEO strategy. Make it easier with five tried-and-tested strategies for building quality backlinks in 2023.