Karma Clinic:Bridging Gap between Rural & Affordable Healthcare Service

Indian rural healthcare startup, Karma Primary Healthcare Services Pvt. Ltd, a Rajasthan-based technology startup providing healthcare solutions in rural areas. The healthcare startup founded by ISB Hyderabad alumnus Jagdeep Gambhir, in 2014. The healthcare startup is providing consultancy via e-doctor clinics, face-to-face to their users through real-time online video consultations. The healthcare startup, Karma also refers to their each health centre as Karma Clinic. Every clinic of Karma Healthcare is catering to 20,000-25,000 population.

Karma Healthcare’s Technology-based Clinics:

The startup initiated with the rising need for the quality and affordable healthcare solution in rural areas. Karma healthcare startup founder is trying to bridging the gap between the quality healthcare services and the rural populations. The startup is focusing on the rural population and their basic need for healthcare and medicine for patients which is not easily available in backwarded areas.

With the help of technology, each Karma Healthcare clinic is enabled with inbuilt webcam Android-based tablet working through a mobile-based internet connection, wireless printer, external speaker and other clinical equipment. According to its website, Karma Healthcare is a private social enterprise aiming to improve the primary healthcare services in rural India. The startup has developed its in-house technology to deliver standardised care, which includes bespoke clinical decision support system, and extending the capability of deep learning driven diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.

“Access to healthcare, healthcare financing and ensuring equitable services remain a major concern. It is estimated that 45% of the population travels more than 100 km to access a higher level of care. This leads to a selection of inappropriate and expensive medical facilities, which can increase disease complexity and financial burden,” Karma Healthcare stated on its website.

Karma Healthcare’s Funding and Investment:

Recently, Karma Healthcare raised a fresh round of funding $500,000 (Rs 3 Crore) from equity crowdfunding platform 1Crowd. Earlier than this the startup had raised an undisclosed amount of funding in May 2015 from international impact fund Ennovent Impact Investment Holding. In April 2015, the startup rose funding from Ankur Capital, the homegrown fund venture.

Date	Round	No. of Investors	Amount	Lead Investors
Feb 2, 2018	Venture Round	4	$500,000	1Crowd
May 2015	–	–	Undisclosed Amount	Ennovent
April 2015	–	–	Undisclosed Amount	Ankur Capital

Investors of Karma Healthcare:

Ankur Capital
Beyond Capital
Ennovent
1Crowd

Karma Healthcare claims that with this new funding over 10 lakh patients under the underserved communities will be able to get the quality services of healthcare with the network of e-doctor clinics on Karma Healthcare. The healthcare startup also backed by Tata Trusts, UBS Optimus Foundation and WISH Foundation, according to the Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) statement.

“This new funding will help us scale our operations as well as enhance our technology offering to improve quality of care and provide great patient experience,” said Jagdeep Gambhir.

Karma Healthcare Accomplishments:

Karma Healthcare claims that it has completed over 50,000 consultations and currently operating 10 e-doctor clinics in the states of Rajasthan and Haryana, providing a broad ecosystem of quality medicines, clinical treatment and diagnostics at competing rates. The startup is utilizing the technology in the healthcare sector, providing the best medical aid services in rural areas, where quality medical aid services not available very easily. Whenever any patient visits any of their clinics they record all the vital parameters and facilitates video consultation amid the patients and physicians, the doctor provides e-prescription, the community health worker prints that and administer them medicines free of cost.

When a patient requires detail about their medical examination or admission, then they are guided with proper care/ specialist facilities in neighbouring cities and towns. Karma Healthcare has its own in-house technology and delivering the standardized care and extending their capabilities of deep learning driven diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.

Other Startups in the Healthcare Sector:

Apart from Karma Healthcare, Unique Home Care started by Apollo Hospitals, Portea, Zoctr, CallHealth, HealthAssure, TerraBlue, Predible Health Pvt. Ltd, etc. is sharing the same space in the healthcare industry. The competition is really tough for all the startups in building their brand a well-known among all. The competition is rising with each passing day with the rising technology in the healthcare industry. Some healthcare startups also rose funding the well-known name of the venture industry but it will be interesting to watch who have the potential to use the funds in the right direction according to the startups need and who will be the market player among all.

Future Prospect:

With the rising need for medical quality in the healthcare industry and affordable healthcare in the rural area. There are plenty of challenges in the Indian market to utilize technology at its best in the healthcare industry. People are more concern about their health nowadays. As the healthcare market is huge so the competitors now.

Likewise for other countries where they are planning to expand their business in the healthcare sector but they have to keep it in mind that it depends on country to the country governments’ behaviour. The policies and customers are different for each country’s market, the market entry and competitors will be different so they have to work accordingly to the country. The country government should help this kind of startups working in the healthcare sector providing services to the rural areas. They need to make some regulations for the startups to operate them accordingly to the policies.

The people are now more concern about their health and the patients now also cross-check the medicines provided to the patients. Trust is the major factor for the startup to chase and it only comes with the quality healthcare services with the help of the technology. This kind of healthcare startup is bridging the gap between rural healthcare populations and medical ailment services providing in urban areas.

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