SwasthyaMitra - The Women Health Entrepreneurs

This initiative was prompted by gaps in delivery of healthcare services and livelihood generation challenges post COVID in rural India that needed to be addressed.

1. There exists a significant gender-based income gap in rural areas, where women tend to earn considerably less than men.

2. Rural women face limited opportunities for generating a sustainable livelihood.

3. Rural women are often left to provide for their children without access to a means of earning a living or even proper healthcare for themselves.

4. Access to essential healthcare services is inadequate or missing in many remote rural regions of India.

With this initiative we are able to address multiple SDGs through inclusive economic growth and sustained livelihood and therefore reduced inequalities and reduction of poverty and also create good health & well-being through delivery of quality healthcare.

DocOnline is a Swedish, digital Healthcare Company working across constituencies in India and Bangladesh providing access to holistic healthcare for the many. In rural India, it provides healthcare services particularly to the women and children. It uses technology as an enabler to bridge the gap of demand and availability deploying its proprietary platform for assisted telemedicine services. We partner with Organizations, Govt., Funds, NGO’s, Foundations etc to implement CSR healthcare and Skilling projects for Sustainable Livelihoods basis their CSR charter.

DocOnline has implemented an innovative model, SwasthyaMitra ~ the local health-preneurs for sustainable livelihood generation for rural women and simultaneously delivering healthcare for a small fee. This is currently being piloted on the ground in remote districts of Rajasthan, India.

This intervention has been designed to address the multiple SDGs and is aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods (no poverty & hunger), creating equality and simultaneously strengthening the public health systems for health and wellness by delivering healthcare (doctor consultations through telemedicine and free medicines) to the people from the underserved population of India creating a huge impact.

The model engages enterprising rural women with a smartphone and preferably a two wheeler and provides them with necessary skilling and training to facilitate delivery of healthcare for a small fee to their local communities and village. There is a revenue-sharing mechanism with the SwasthyaMitras along with an initial subsidy to ensure sustainability. The model envisages enhancing their income by adding other health-related services, such as Specialist Consultations, Point of Care Diagnostics, micro insurances and referrals. The pilot program has shown promise and aims to create a minimum monthly income opportunity for these rural women. The model is designed to achieve 100% self-reliance within two years, making it truly sustainable and is currently showing promising results.

This healthcare delivery model provides the much-needed clinical care at the rural doorsteps while creating an income generating opportunity for the women in the community. Currently each of these women earn an average of INR 5,000-6000 per month from this initiative, and the income is steadily increasing. The initial target is to achieve an income of INR 7500-8000 per month ($100 pm) without any subsidy through this program.

This approach is unique as it not only empowers the rural women but also addresses the dual objective of providing access to quality healthcare to the remote rural areas and simultaneously generating a sustainable livelihood for the women. Considering gaps in current healthcare delivery, once skilled, the health-preneurs will be in a good position to get started with little or no investment. Being a digital healthcare organization with its own in-house GPs and Specialists, DocOnline is positioned well to provide the support required for assisted telemedicine. At the moment, there is no visible competition.

This model can be scaled easily in any developing nation as soon as it become fully sustainable making it independent from any external funding. We are expecting it to reach complete sustainability levels within two years. Thereafter, we can provide microloans from Government backed seed funds, to these women to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journeys and expand their businesses.

Firstly, this program will take the much needed clinical care intervention to the doorstep of the underserved areas of rural India. Based on our previous experience of implementing technology for providing preventive and curative healthcare services to rural sector, we identified that there is gap between the public healthcare system and community.

Also, various studies have clearly documented that the Doctor patient ratio in India (1:1800) is far less than the prescribed norm (1:1000). 80% of the hospitals and doctors are based in the Urban areas of India while a large population is still in rural areas. In addition to this, the healthcare centres are also located far in difficult terrains. The shortage of well-equipped healthcare centres and a trained health force has always been a challenge for the healthcare system in rural areas.

COVID has further highlighted this divide where the rural population had a limited reach to healthcare institutions. As a result, various health indicators dropped significantly like reduction in number of institutional deliveries during COVID etc.

Secondly, this program is a game-changer for rural women, offering them a new source of income and greater financial independence. Traditionally, many women in rural areas have been unable to find work, leaving them reliant on their partners or families for financial support. Even when employed, women often face unequal pay compared to their male counterparts. As a result, they struggle to provide for their families and are left with limited options for supporting themselves and their children.

However, with this new program, rural women irrespective of their qualification will have the chance to earn a fair wage and support themselves and their families. This represents a significant shift towards gender equality, providing women with the same income opportunities as their male counterparts. Furthermore, this newfound financial independence will empower women to make decisions about their own lives and the lives of their children. With greater economic stability, they will be better equipped to provide for their families even in times of market instability. Overall, this program is a crucial step towards creating a more just and equal society for rural women.

Our team brings together a diverse range of expertise from various industries, including healthcare, insurance, banking, telecom, and IT services, with experienced clinicians, healthcare operations officers, public health experts, clinical control audit experts, and technical development professionals. Unlike others, DocOnline has its own in-house GPs and Specialists backed by a battery of Paramedics for day to day operations and quality control.

This comprehensive skill set enables us to effectively execute the program and ensure its success.

As of now, we have extended this livelihood opportunity to 25 women as SwasthyaMitras and through them we are reaching out to 2,50,000 rural lives with healthcare services.

We are implementing a healthcare delivery model in rural areas of India by creating livelihood opportunities for women. Currently, we are providing subsidies to cover operational costs and actively seeking ways to bridge any financial gaps. Our team on the ground is implementing the plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of the model by offering additional allied healthcare services to generate more revenue and increase the income of our SwasthyaMitras. As part of the Solve program, we are seeking support in the following areas:

1.         Exploring gap financing opportunities to cover the initial subsidies for each SwasthyaMitras for the first two years until they become self-reliant and sustainable.

2.         Identifying, exploring and setting up additional healthcare services that can be provided to the community through our SwasthyaMitras beyond teleconsultations and medicines like point of care diagnostics devices, micro insurance etc.