Made in Humane Club
Mobiles for Medical Help in Rural Areas
In an article titled “Soon Medical Services through Phone“it is informed that
“Notwithstanding challenges like low bandwidth and internet penetration, health professionals feel that there is a huge market (900 million Indian cellphone owners) waiting to be tapped. A recent study conducted by Apollo Hospitals and Georgia State University , Atlanta, gives credence to this belief. The survey found that nearly 28% people in rural areas and 46% in urban areas owned smartphones. Conducted across a sample of 1,866 people spread in five states — Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — it also found that one-third of those interviewed had not undergone a health check-up in five years with 55% saying they were open to accessing medical services through mobile phones.”
Given the overall underdevelopment of rural areas, doctors are not easily available. Providing medical services through ICTs is the best bet in rural India. This underlines the importance of universal availability of high speed broadband.