Innovative Technology-Based Social Enterprises for Inclusive Sustainable Healthcare in India

Abstract

India is witnessing rapid progress in the twenty-first century. The progress unfortunately is very uneven and non-inclusive. Many people are below the poverty line and often have to do without sufficient food. Many children do get the benefit of primary education. Girls and women do not get adequate nutrition or equal opportunities of education and employment. In healthcare, in particular, we see a major disparity in the facilities available to different sections of society in India. A privileged few get access to sophisticated, advanced healthcare facilities while the poor in urban slum areas and especially in rural India either have no access to good quality basic healthcare or cannot afford them. A lot of social enterprises in India are using smart innovative technology to solve this problem of making available quality healthcare to the urban poor and the needy rural in India at affordable rates. Objective The paper studies two social enterprises, the first being AAarogyaVedh Healthcare InfoTech Pvt. Ltd. which provides cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the second being a family owned social enterprise that offers a juggad ambulance cum medical unit called AmbuPod that uses innovative technology to make available quality and economical healthcare in a timely manner. Research Methodology The researchers have conducted personal interviews by way of primary research. They have also availed of secondary resources. Significance of the Study The study will encourage enterprises to use technology in order to provide for high grade healthcare available to everyone in India. It will inspire decision makers, NGOs, and business entities to help such social enterprises. The study also brings out the fact that these social enterprises not only provide crucial services like cost-effective measures for creating physical, mental, or emotional well-being (health care), but also create job opportunities.