‘Our goal is to have a positive health impact on 10 million people at the earliest possible by creating 12 hubs across India’

As the Indian healthcare sector continue to evolve, innovative business enterprises are trying to mark within the industry. One such enterprise is S10 Health. Dr Afser Shariff, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, S10 Health shares an overview on S10 Health as well as showcases their unique proposition and plans for the future, with Raelene Kambli

Tell us about S10 Health and its market share within the Indian market?

S10 Health, India s first independent SafeCare network, is a first of its kind, unique transformational approach to healthcare management. SafeCare sets into place quality standards and benchmarks for clinics to adhere to, as well as combines patient convenience and ease of access to world-class affordable healthcare. With advancements in healthcare standards and increasing access to healthcare, Healthcare professionals are aware of the gap between the care relevant to their speciality received by patients in resource-constrained settings and the delivery of ideal standard of care. The reasons for such disparities is multi-dimensional; lack of qualified personnel, financial investment and healthcare seekers’ demand-supply mismatch.

According to estimates, the overall Indian healthcare market today is valued at $100 billion; healthcare delivery, which includes hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostics centres, and pharmaceuticals, constitutes 65 per cent of the overall market. Moreover, Indian healthcare industry is growing at a tremendous pace due to its strengthening coverage, services and increasing expenditure for health issues. It would be premature to estimate the market share as we are entering an unchartered territory. The market for speciality clinics which we intend to cater and the segment that would benefit most from being part of SafeCare Network would account for a significant 30per cent of total healthcare market value, pegged at approximately $30 billion.

Why was S10 Health started?

S10 Health was started with the intention to provide health seekers, access to quality care with convenience and affordability; with the overall goal to improve health outcomes. The need of immediate attention, at a place nearby and a provider that one can trust has shifted the market dynamics resulting in a fragmented and inadequate infrastructure. A very common observation made by anyone accessing healthcare is that, ‘Where do I find trusted doctors and quality care’. Additionally, our current healthcare system is not geared to support the needs and expectation of the generation that is looking to living well and longer. There is not only a need to push the onset of lifestyle diseases as far as possible and improving quality of life of people with non communicable diseases (NCDs); but also reduce cost of managing health issues and remove barrier to quality care access. Thus the need for an alternative delivery mechanism.

Today’s health seeker is very discerning. How would your services benefit him/her?

Some of the compelling priorities for the health seeker that would benefit health seeker are

• Trusted doctors
• Not just sick care but a personalised engagement for a healthy life span
• Providing the best outcomes at a cost lower than the next best alternative
• Providing real-time health care
• Establishing continuity of care with SafeCare network in the right locations to deliver high quality care

How is your offering different to your competition?

There are players who provide directory services, medical record management, healthcare services aggregators and so on but in isolation. It would perhaps be better to say, what we offer is a wholesome experience starting from the need to have relevant information to address health concerns to the actual transaction process. Starting from the decision to choose a trusted doctor at a given location at a convenient time through an online appointment booking system, access to health records, prescriptions, or a personalised health or fitness plan, SafeCare Network has it all. Moreover, SafeCare Quality Certification facilitates physicians and allied practitioners to adhere to a comprehensive quality framework (based on NABH) that not only helps improve health outcomes and promote meaningful use but also to help healthcare providers deliver high standards of care to their patients regardless of constraints.

Where do you see Indian healthcare technology sector shaping in providing a superior health experience for the health seeker?

Without question, technology is revolutionising how, where and when people access healthcare. Underlying all the functional improvements that technology can bring, health seekers still need personal attention of the physician, the human element which can never be replaced or substituted. In our endeavour to continually reduce costs and waste and improve efficiency and throughput, automation of manual tasks helps healthcare consumers follow a standardised care path provided. Additionally, automation can help detect when a patient has deviated from the recommended care plan so the care team can intervene in a timely manner and thus result in a better outcome. Merging information about health seeker’s medical records, home life and other social and environmental factors essential for establishing a personalised care approach along with data driven insights is where Indian healthcare technology sector facilitate superior health experience for the health seeker.

What are your plans for S10 Health?

We are working towards our goal of having a positive health impact on 10 million people at the earliest possible by creating 12 hubs across India. The first hub is up and functioning in Chennai and served as a pilot. Chennai is split into five zones; each of which has multiple clinics of each specialities based on the population. SafeCare’s Network currently has 15 locations of various specialties in Chennai catering to nearly 145,000- health seekers. We will be scaling up to 100 locations in greater Chennai catering to 1M health seekers in the next 12 months. This would constitute 25 per cent of Chennai population; approximately 4.5 million. We also intend to expand across India to 13 locations as quickly as possible. In the rush and hustle of everyday life, there is something that’s central to our well-being and longevity. Time. There’s no better time than now to care for your health and well-being. Every second, health matters! We are racing against time to make an impact by improving lives of the people. Our services can help people live a longer life with a healthy life span.

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