In an interview someone asked Dr. Devi Shetty, the Founder of Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) as to why the Healthcare costs are increasing in India and he said “Over a decade ago, a heart surgery costed over Rs. 2 Lacs; and today it costs a little over half”.
Over the last decade, the Healthcare landscape in India is considerably changing. Healthcare is reaching to more people than before and many are benefitting with the new and innovative models Healthcare organizations are adapting.
One of the innovative models Healthcare organizations are adapting is the Hub and Spoke model. In this model, the central facility is situated in the urban area with all the specialists available. The Spokes are the smaller centers which are situated in smaller towns with connectivity to the Hub.
With this model, Specialist Hospitals are able to provide quality Healthcare to a larger population.
This one illustrates how India is innovating in its Healthcare reach. There are numerous data points which illustrate how India is behind in Doctor to Patient ratio, Number of beds to population, shortfall in the number of nursing staff etc. We are behind in most of the WHO metrics when compared to the United States and even with China.
Even though traditional methods are helping, reaching the over Billion population in the country needs different thinking.
Hospitals are increasing their reach and this does not mean we are compromising on the quality of the outcomes.
To add to these innovative models, startup’s in Healthcare are helping to bridge the gap even further. Over the last two years, there are more than 200 startup’s which have been addressing this problem. More than $500 million has gone into funding these startups. What also gains our attention is that these startups are not only focusing on care, but also building systems which connect anyone with a smartphone to the best of the care.