Mobile Healthcare in India

India’s plan to enter and focus on growth in the mobile healthcare market will make all medical documentation electronic and easily accessible. A majority of India’s population (approximately 70%) live in rural areas meanwhile a large portion of healthcare providers reside in urban areas thus making it difficult many times to provide proper healthcare in rural areas of India. India’s plan to grow the mobile healthcare market will be of immense help to the people that live in rural areas and will help in providing healthcare throughout India. Many multinational phone companies are looking into initiating programs to deal with emergency health related situations as well as day to day medical care.

Aircel, a mobile phone service provider in India and a joint venture between Maxis Communications of Malaysia and Apollo Hospital, has launched the first ever Mobile Health Care Service to Aircel customers. It is available 24/7 and is supported by doctors and healthcare professionals. The service will be provided in 4 languages.

My Thoughts

In a world where mobile phone application development is one of the newest fads, the business of combining healthcare with mobile applications is genius! I think this will bring the technology and healthcare world even closer and will grow the need for application developers to collaborate with healthcare professions and also require healthcare providers to grow their technology area. Additionally, mobile healthcare can possibly change how healthcare exists today in India and possibly across the globe. Healthcare professionals can continue to live in urban areas yet increase their reach to rural areas and provide medical attention on an ongoing basis. Low income families in rural and urban areas can possibly get medical advice for non-emergency situations for a low cost and also cut travel costs. On the flip side, patients may have to be on the lookout for fraudulent applications, ensuring data is kept confidential, and the reliability of the medical advice provided through mobile health applications. 

Overall I think mobile healthcare is much needed and definitely has huge grown potential in India and other areas of the world; the possibilities are endless!