In India, we have always grappled with poor healthcare services, and this is proven from the fact that 70% of the population still doesn’t have access to medical care. In order to get treatment for any illness or diseases, an individual would have to have sufficient savings – implying that people who may be unemployed, or from a financially weak background, with fewer savings, may not actually get treated even if they were suffering from a major medical concern.
Yes, medical subsidies do exist, where families from poor background may be able to get low cost treatment. But we must question whether a large majority of our population can even afford subsidized treatment, considering the number of people in India who live below the poverty line? As a crowdfunding India community that is dedicated to providing financial support for any and every cause, we at Impact Guru have observed that medical campaigns are most in number, as well as the most successful in raising funds for treatment. This led us to ideating around a very important set of people in the equation of healthcare – the doctors. Last year, Impact Guru ran a ‘doctors for good’ program that was aimed at raising awareness about the potential of a crowdfunding India, among doctors and medical practitioners themselves. Many doctors, especially in metro cities are now more educated about the beauty of crowdfunding in enabling patients of weaker financial backgrounds to get treated without having to dig into family savings. However, it mustn’t be forgotten that the rural populations too suffer from illnesses and diseases, and targeting doctors in different regions and teaching them how to help their patients crowdfund, would make the most difference.
So this article is to reach out to all the doctors, hospitals, or medical professionals, and help you help your patients.
- Understanding that health insurance isn’t actually affordable by everyone in India – some might in fact even consider it a luxury
- Not all those who apply for a loan will get it
- Starting a crowdfunding campaign is far quicker and easier in case of medical emergencies
- Crowdfunding reduces out-of-pocket expenditure
- Raising money through online donations removes the burden of having to live in/ repay heavy debts
- Your awareness and education about crowdfunding will assist those who need treatment but would have to forego it due to lack of funding
- Not everyone is aware of the beauty of crowdfunding, as medical practitioners, you must let them know about their various options for allocating funds
- Encouraging crowdfunding would directly save more lives, simply be making treatment available to all
There is no one solution to the severe challenges in India’s healthcare system, a combination of government intervention, improved facilities, and larger budgets, is the first step forward. In the meantime, encouraging a crowdfunding India, and other alternatives for raising money, are providing relief to low income populations with high medical expenditure.
