Good karma: this startup raises more funding to bring doctors to India’s vast rural poor

Primary healthcare infrastructure in India is mostly concentrated in urban areas. There’s a pressing need to provide the rural population with access to quality and affordable services. Karma Healthcare is trying to bridge this gap with the help of technology.

Today, Karma announced it raised an undisclosed amount in funding from international impact fund Ennovent Impact Investment Holding. Last month, the company raised funding from homegrown fund Ankur Capital.

The company runs clinics in rural areas of the desert state of Rajasthan. It gives villagers access to specialized doctors through telemedicine as well as face-to-face follow-up consultations with local or mobile clinics. It uses tablet computers and medical devices which can transmit real-time data from patients to doctors located elsewhere.

The one-year old startup operates four rural healthcare centers and has served over 6,000 patients. With fresh funding, Karma will streamline its operational processes to scale up. The company also aims to improve on its service offerings which currently include diagnostic services, medical consultations, and provision of medicines.

“We strive to improve the availability and quality of healthcare services in rural areas and provide formal healthcare facilities to the doorsteps. Being a low capex (capital expenditure) model, the company can expand rapidly once strong systems and processes are in place,” says Jagdeep Gambhir, co-founder and CEO of Karma Healthcare.

Guided telemedicine

The startup delivers its services by putting up Android-based tablets, internet connections, wireless printers, external speakers, and clinical equipment in each clinic. A nurse or a community health worker first speaks to the patient about her symptoms in the local dialect, records vital parameters, and then facilitates a video consultation with a doctor.

The doctor examines the patient with the nurse’s help, and prescribes medicines. The prescription is digitally signed and emailed to the clinic. The nurse prints the prescription, dispenses medicines, and explains the dosage to the patient.

If tests have to be done, the nurse collects a test sample, which is then sent to diagnostic centers in the city for analysis. In case the patient requires more detailed medical examination, Karma’s doctors refer her to specialists in nearby cities and towns.

Access to healthcare, healthcare financing, and ensuring equitable services remain major concerns in India. It is estimated that 45 per cent of the population travel more than 100 kilometers to access a higher level of healthcare. This often leads to selection of inappropriate and expensive medical facilities and delay in accurate diagnosis, thereby increasing disease complexity and financial burden.

Huge problem, massive market