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