Rajasthan’s Karma Healthcare bags funding to bring telemedicine to villages

Indian rural healthcare startup Karma Healthcare has raised an undisclosed amount in pre-series A round from impact fund Ankur Capital.

The company runs clinics in the rural areas of desert state Rajasthan. It gives villagers access to specialized doctors through telemedicine as well as direct face-to-face consultations. It uses tablet computers, printers, power-backup systems, and medical devices which can transmit real-time data from patients to doctors located elsewhere.

“The fresh funding will be used to further automate the process which will help scaling up easier,” says Jagdeep Gambhir, founder of Karma Healthcare who currently runs four clinics and is doubling its presence in the state.

In India, good doctors are often practicing in the cities. With Karma, such doctors’ practice can be made accessible to the patients in faraway villages.

Tech in Asia was the first to report about Karma’s work in some of the remotest villages of India.

“We believe that models like Karma have a role to play in unlocking value in the largely untapped rural health space,” Ankur Capital says in a statement.

How Karma works

Every Karma clinic has an Android-based tablet, internet connection, wireless printer, external speakers, and other clinical equipment. 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 relevant specialists in nearby cities and towns.

Each Karma clinic caters to a population of 20,000 to 25,000.

The company competes with MediAngels, which allows patients to consult specialized doctors from across the globe on its online platform. The firm had recently raised US$1 million from Ventureast.