Every year, millions of Indians are pushed into poverty because of high out-ofpocket expenses
on healthcare, with more than two-thirds of the population
lacking access to health insurance.6 The result is late diagnosis and high dropout rates from prescribed therapy.
AFFORDABLE
HEALTHCARE FOR
EVERYONE
How can digital technologies ensure
that the rural poor do not spend their
hard-earned savings on healthcare?
Technology innovation, such as the Health Navigator app from Accenture Labs,
is the answer. This app is creating a wellness ecosystem for more than 600
people in a village in Karnataka, India. More than two-thirds of these people show
symptoms of diabetes. The Accenture Labs team, along with Maya Health, a
nongovernment organization, has developed an innovative digital platform that
leverages machine learning to deliver personalized wellness interventions at
costs as low as INR50 a month. In addition, "health navigators" coach people to
embrace wellness behaviors, helping avert multiple disability-adjusted life years
(DALY-years of healthy life lost).
A SWEET PILL TO SWALLOW
ACCENTURE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR INDIA 2018