Why does the Indian Healthcare Industry need mHealth

Smartphone technology is carving new inroads in the healthcare space in India. mHealth or mobile health is defined as the provision of health services through mobile technologies. mHealth leverages mobile and wireless devices to improve health outcomes. mHealth can range from sending SMS to patients as alerts or reminders to leveraging inbuilt mobile sensors or apps to record and interpret clinical data. 

Mobile usage is growing at a exponential pace. It is expected to grow by seven-folds from 2016 to 2021 in India. An average Indian spends around 3 hours on their smartphone daily [1]. Due to the high usage time, mobile technology has the capability to impact both health and wellness.

The need for a newer innovative means of providing quality care 

India needs mHealth to compensate for the deficiencies in the current healthcare infrastructure. 

Worrying statistics on India’s healthcare workforce and infrastructure[2]

• India has 0.7 doctors per 1000 population 
• India has 1.3 nurses per 1000 population 
• India has 1.1 hospital beds per 1000 population 

Additionally, there are alarming statistics on the ecosystem of healthcare in India. A large segment of the Indian population is deprived of primary healthcare facilities.

Snapshot of the Indian healthcare ecosystem[3] 

• 30% of Indians do not have access to primary healthcare facilities. 
• 30% of Indians fall below the poverty line each year because of healthcare expenses
• 70% of India’s healthcare infrastructure is limited to the top 20 cities.
• India accounts for 21% of the global disease burden.

These statistics indicate that it is imperative to leverage newer ways to make quality and affordable healthcare accessible to everyone.

Current challenges for mHealth adoption in India mHealth 

mHealth can aid in improving accessibility, reducing healthcare costs and increasing the productivity of healthcare workforce in India. It has impacted ecosystems of emerging countries 

mHealth has impacted the healthcare ecosystem in emerging countries and it can be expected to yield positive results in India too. This technology can help in improving accessibility, reducing healthcare costs and increasing the healthcare workforce productivity in India. However, a number of barriers are limiting the impact of mHealth in the Indian healthcare sector.

mHealth interest is growing

According to data gathered from Google Trends, India ranks among the top 5 countries for search terms like ‘mobile health’, ‘health apps’, ‘medical apps’ and ‘mHealth’. This insight indicates Indian population is interested in mHealth.

As a healthcare marketeer, this is your opportunity

If you want to explore how you can use Smartphone technology for your healthcare brand or healthcare service, drop me a message. I will be delighted to assist you on. Smartphone technology is transforming the healthcare space. This is your time to make an impact or get left behind.

Drop me a message! I look forward to hearing from you!!

Reference

1. Mobile Marketing Association. (2016). Kantar IMRB & MMA smartphone usage and behaviour report [overview] – India, 2016-17. Retrieved from https://www.mmaglobal.com/files/documents/mma_kimrb_smartphone_report_overview.pdf
2.  Source: PwC analysis
3.  Source: PwC, “The healthcare agenda” (2015)