Inclusive Healthcare for Digital India?

Inclusive Healthcare for Digital India?

Healthcare has evolved over the past generations, to encompass much more than it did to the ancient world. Most of these innovations have come squarely from the advancements that technology has made in this time. Thus, it becomes important to address the impact healthcare IT has had and investigate the changes it has been able to make in the lives of the general population.

The past century has witnessed the importance the information technology has gained in the world and the effect it has had. These changes, however, have been effective only in urban areas. In countries such as India, the rural population far outnumbers the urban. Therefore, the industry has begun to gear itself to address all sections of society.

The reason for this uneven distribution of technology are numerous. Some of the most stated include a lack of infrastructure, inaccessibility of services and low expenditure on health care. Although these are viable challenges, they are not completely accurate.

My recent visit to a few villages in Uttar Pradesh made me realise that some of the most telling factors that roadblock the adoption of health care IT in rural areas are ingrained behaviors and the inherent culture of the residents. During my conversation with the head of the village I came to know that people are very reluctant to go to the hospitals. One example of this reluctance is the preference for childbirth to take place at home rather than in the hospital. The health workers I spoke to echo this situation, stating that such practices are traditional and people do not wish to deviate from them.