As a novel method to rope in the masses in the health insurance scheme, the Narayana Hrudayalaya, led by Dr Devi Shetty, has proposed to the National Innovation Council (NIC) to provide health insurance to nine million mobile subscribers in the country by paying just Rs.20 per month as insurance premium.

The additional cost of Rs.20 could be used a health insurance amount. The Council has prepared the concept note and is now working with the government for the same.

“This is the simplest way for India to provide the best healthcare to the people. The nine million cell phone subscribers pay minimum bill amount of Rs.150 a month and this additional Rs.20 would mean nothing to them as they will have access to advanced medical services in time of an emergency,” said Dr Shetty.

Now we are convincing the policy makers. While the proposal has already been sent to the government six months ago, the government could provide this through the Universal Health Care in India initiative with its Mission Healthcare for All. Mobile phone technology is both robust and scalable to allow the Indians to have a healthcare insurance at no cost for the government, he added.

This is how India could become the first country in the world to separate healthcare from affluence. Using mobile and information technology, it could make a big difference in the healthcare services. The only reason for India to be able to achieve this is with its presence of large pool of doctors, nurses and paramedics. Besides it is also home to the highest number of global regulatory approved plants including US FDA, he said.

Karnataka has taken the lead with the Yeshaswini health insurance scheme at Rs.5 for farmers who have access to the best of healthcare needs.

Technology has also empowered healthcare. For instance clinical technology and information systems have made significant advances, leading to more accessible, cost-efficient, safer and better healthcare. Advances in telecom connectivity have enabled tele-medicine capabilities that have extended the reach of care. In the US, the IT adoption in healthcare is only anywhere between 10-16 per cent. Further, the US is reporting one in 200 deaths due to clinical error. Almost 10,000 people are known to have succumbed to prescription errors in the US. This is because of right processes and protocols are not adhered to. There are software available to even indicate drug interaction. This is where India is now taking the lead in ensuring its large medical centres go in for IT adoption at a faster pace. Within the next five years, smart software will have smart doctors who will now need to look at their computers even for a single opinion, informed Dr Shetty.

Indian healthcare providers are looking at investing in this space to keep ahead. The change is inevitable and the next major transformation in healthcare is making this safer and affordable for patients, said Dr Shetty.