Background

According to the Times of India, almost 65% of India’s population that resides in rural areas has access to only 30% of the total available health infrastructure. There is also a disparity in access to medication, with India’s top two pharmacies covering less than 10% of the population. Additionally, drug stock-outs are a common issue, with 60% of medicines in public health facilities being out of stock for up to six months a year. 

These inconsistencies in accessibility to healthcare and medication in rural areas has led to several issues. This includes malnutrition and immune-related diseases in children, poor maternal healthcare, and a higher risk of communicable diseases spreading. Additionally, there is no proper healthcare support for senior citizens and there is general unawareness about health and medical issues. The state of public healthcare has led individuals from these areas to choose private in-patient service providers, whose costs are several times higher than the costs of public facilities.