Pritika Singh, CEO, Prayag Hospitals Group stresses that the government, private hospitals and healthcare stakeholders, investors and start-ups can work in synchrony to take quality healthcare beyond big cities
The Indian hospital industry is expected to grow from US$ 61.8 billion in 2017 to US$ 132 billion by 2023. The healthcare industry in the country is projected to be valued at US$ 372 billion this year. While this will be a whopping growth, triggered by the healthcare revolution during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still accessibility barriers to quality healthcare in tier 2 and 3 cities in India. Addressing these barriers will be a challenge as well as a top priority for the government and Health Care Providers (HCPs) in the next year.
Why do our small towns and cities lack access to quality healthcare?
Healthcare penetration has always been a concern in smaller towns and cities in the country, with the doctor-patient ratio heavily skewed in favor of urban areas. This has also led to massive urbanisation of healthcare, while tier 2 & 3 cities still suffer from a lack of access to tertiary care. Just like a diverse country India is, diversity is witnessed in its healthcare sector. While the country is home to one of the world’s largest medical tourism industries, on the other hand, millions of Indians face an acute shortage of quality healthcare services.
Due to the lack of tertiary healthcare, people from underserved areas have always defected to bigger cities. Although the picture is changing now, a few years back, diagnostic facilities like MRI, CT scan, and advanced pathology were rarely available in smaller towns. The reason for this gap is that there has been a lack of investment to upgrade or build super specialty hospitals in these cities. Most doctors are also attracted to foreign countries like the USA for practicing or they would at least go for metros that have a good footfall of patients with a good amount of disposable income, as compared to their rural or tier 2, or tier 3 counterparts. This leaves our smaller towns and cities behind.
What can be done to change the picture?
Even as some progress has been registered in the last few years, a lot more still needs to be done to address this huge gap. The question is what more can be done to address accessibility barriers in small towns in the coming year? Bigger hospitals based in tier 1 cities can revolutionise the healthcare in these small cities and towns by taking strategic stakes in local entities. Tier 2 and tier 3 cities are lucrative markets from the ROI perspective in the current scenario and these cities are already attracting investment and collaboration from large health organisations.
With world-class medical facilities available at some recently launched hospitals in these cities, there has been a good response from rural and adjoining areas. Without such hospitals in these areas, these people would have defected to bigger cities. There is a need for more such HCPs so that tertiary care could penetrate the remotest parts of the country.
Another good sign is the mushrooming of healthcare start-ups in tier 2 and tier 3 cities that are playing catalysts in the healthcare paradigm. These start-ups are not only bringing onboard new technology or innovation but also facilitating patients and healthcare providers. The government has also created a favorable environment for these start-ups to succeed in non-urban spaces.
The road ahead
Tier 2 and tier 3 cities are at the fore of this healthcare revolution and there are a lot of expectations from the upcoming budget as well, with respect to more investment and funding for boosting the health infrastructure at the grassroots level. In conclusion, the government, private hospitals and healthcare stakeholders, investors and start-ups can work in synchrony to take quality healthcare beyond big cities. This will not only reduce the burden on health infrastructure in bigger cities but also make quality healthcare accessible and affordable in lower-tier Indian cities.
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