India has made incredibly speedy progress with medical technology and skill to the level where medical tourism in India attracts patients from developed countries as well. Some of the best surgeons and doctors in the world practice in Indian hospitals. Quality healthcare in India is available in abundance.
But at what cost?
As medical expenses soar higher every day, there is constant talk of the dismal state of medical care across the rural areas of the country. As over 63 million Indians are thrust into the clutches of poverty each year due to healthcare expenses, universal health coverage is a utopian dream. With an atrociously low part of the GDP (3.9%) going to healthcare, what more can we expect?
Every Indian knows of the inevitable burden that medical bills pose. Indian middle income families often need to resort to loans or selling assets to afford a medical procedure, especially that of a chronic illness, for a loved one. We shudder to imagine the plight of the underprivileged. Imagine you’re a rickshaw driver or a daily-wage laborer. You wonder if you can afford to send your kids to school when your mother falls ill with cancer. A single visit to the doctor needs to be planned and saved up for ahead of time and you need to skip a few meals for a scan or a final diagnosis.
Solutions and initiatives that have been making the lives of patients easier
Nonprofit organizations, philanthropists, social workers, and many individuals with a concern – they’ve all been toiling for years to relieve underprivileged patients and their families of their heavy medical bills. The medical crowdfunding industry has been helping patients afford their diagnosis, medication and medical procedures for nearly a decade now.
Dr Help Desk is an initiative by Anuj Rathoure, who believes healthcare is a right and shouldn’t come at an unreasonable cost the majority can’t meet. He began working on an online portal for patients This portal provides 24×7 medical consultation with doctors, free of cost and finds patients doctors nearby that would offer treatment at discounted rates. Dr Help Desk is crowdfunding with Impact Guru to help take on the expense of finding more doctors, hospitals, clinics and continuing to be one of the few platforms that provides consultation for free. They hope to raise funds from the concerned public, rather than burden individual patients with higher bills. Support their noble cause on Impact Guru’s fundraising platform!