Indias digital connectivity has been expected to increase from 15% in 2014 to 80% access in 2034,

with rural Internet users increasing by 58% annually [1]. The objective of digital India in health is to
leverage this increased connectivity to bridge the demand-supply and infrastructural gap. And
provide access to quality healthcare to the larger Indian population. Digitisation of health cuts down
geographical barriers reduces infrastructure cost using low cost IT infrastructure, and can be
monitored and tracked.

M-health is a recommendation to address the lack of information, access and infrastructure. With a
billion mobile subscribers and increasing internet penetration, the 2100 crore INR market is
estimated to increase to 5000 crore INR by 2020 [2]. The WHO recommends a minimum ratio of 1
doctor per 100 patients, India currently has 1 per 1700 citizens of India. M-health implementation
would address the demand supply gap increasing the number of patients diagnosed per doctor [3]

70% of the Indian population lives in villages, far from the health care providers. Poor infrastructure
and connectivity further aggravates this gap. The 7.5 million USD (2011) remote healthcare delivery
market growing at CAGR 20% [4] becomes almost indispensable in this scenario. Low cost digital
health solutions employing wireless technology, semi-skilled workers and limited bandwidth have
been developed recently to develop a proxy for doctors in rural areas. [5] (Ex a cloud-based, point of
care diagnostic equipment and telemedicine solution that enables remote health care delivery
ReMeDi Remote Medical diagnostics- The technicians operate it in 2,200 villages across India, with a
total population of 50 million people)
Another important recommendation is telemedicine which was valued at 100 million USD in 2011
and is expected to grow by over four times in next 5 years [4]. Innovation in this area will bring down
the care provider cost, improve the patient engagement and will provide better end delivery of care.
Creation of electronic medical/health records (EMRs or EHRs) and installation of monitoring and
tracking systems will help proper allocation of resources and provide an effective and transparent
grievance redressal system. With the Aadhaar program and a technically adept workforce, the EMR
will introduce a new wave of innovation.

References:
1. PwC. (2014). Future of India: The winning leap.
2. Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2016/01/06/india-just-crossed-1-billion-
mobile-subscribers-milestone-and-the-excitements-just-beginning/#5b688f215ac2
3. DQIndia: http://www.dqindia.com/how-technology-dose-boosting-healthcare-in-india/
4. PwC. (2015). The healthcare agenda: Stakeholder collaboration for the way forward.
5. https://www.pwc.in/assets/pdfs/publications/2016/indian-healthcare-on-the-cusp-of-a-
digital-transformation.pdf
6. http://www.forbes.com/sites/suparnadutt/2016/11/21/indias-most-remote-villages-are-
getting-better-healthcare-with-this-cloud-based-solution/#231421f86a19