Home Healthcare in India

Bringing quality healthcare at your doorstep is the primary motto of home healthcare. It is an umbrella term which includes health care services provided by both skilled (physical therapy, nursing care, doctor visits) and non-skilled medical (companion and personal care activities) professionals in the comfort and convenience of your home. Home healthcare is unique in terms of how the services are rendered, which is in the comfort of your home but just as effective, hassle free and in some cases, less expensive than that of a hospital or a clinic.

What is home healthcare?

As families all over the world become increasingly nuclear, taking care of the health of each member of the family becomes difficult. Indeed, it is difficult for working members of the family to manage their occupational needs and the health requirements of the family at the same time. From child birth to postoperative care to general illnesses, they all require medical attention as well as personal care.

The home healthcare facility has been tailor-made to meet the needs of such dynamic families. Home health care facilities were first started in India by India Home Health Care in 2009 and now have a long list of names following in its footsteps like Health Care at Home, Zoctr, Portea, Care24 etc. In the $100 billion Indian healthcare market, the share of home healthcare is around $3.2 billion.

Why do you need Home healthcare?

India is still crippled by a woeful doctor to patient ratio where there is only one doctor for every 1,674 patients. Hospitals almost always remain crowded and there are long queues at every counter, be it the billing desks or the investigation rooms. In such times, home healthcare, with its conveniences and hassle free approach, is a silver lining in the healthcare segment. Your doctor as well as the caregivers will visit you at your door step and treat you at the comfort of your home.

Also, when it comes to taking care of the health of all members of the family, especially ailing and infirmed members of the family, Home healthcare fits the bill perfectly.

What you get from Home Healthcare?

Doctor consultation at home

You never know when you would need to see a doctor. And when you do, factors ranging from navigating heavy traffic, lack of time etc. influence your decision, and you are most likely to put off “going to the doctor”. Another question that comes up is:  “Is this doctor good” which then leads to the next question “should you opt for a different doctor”?

Home healthcare services solve all of these problems. They provide contacts of verified professionals (with reviews) at the convenience of your home. This makes the whole doctor-patient relationship more personal and the treatment more effective.

Post natal home support

New mothers can get cold feet once they come home with their tiny bundle of joy. They could be overwhelmed by the sudden increase in responsibilities and tasks that they will need to attend to simultaneously. At the same time they need rest to allow their bodies to recuperate from the rigors of pregnancy.

In olden days, a woman’s mother and her mother-in-law would share the workload and this made the whole process easier. But in today’s world, where nuclear families hold sway, this is no longer the case. In such instances, there are specially designed home support systems provided by various Home Healthcare facilities, which ensure that the mother remains stress free and can thus direct her attention on nurturing the child in a calm and happy environment.

Skilled nursing

A stay at the hospital takes care of your immediate ailments but the recuperative phase usually extends beyond the days spent in the institution. Families often try hard to meet the requirements of the ailing kin, but it is not always possible. Regular monitoring of the patients, providing the necessary psychological and medical support, bandaging and dressing wounds, especially in case of post-operative treatments, all require the services of a skilled professional. Home health services make provisions for skilled nurses who can provide round the clock services to the patient. This helps the family to carry on with their work while knowing that the patient is in good hands.

Physiotherapy

Various conditions require physiotherapy as a treatment. Paralysis, fractures, nerve problems, injuries are some common causes why people need physiotherapy. Many of these patients could have issues with mobility and hence taking them for therapy sessions to a clinic can be a major problem. Just think about it, with the number of potholes in the roads showing no signs of coming down any sooner, a slight bump while travelling in a vehicle can result in discomfort or even aggravate symptoms in such patients.

This is where the home healthcare service comes in. These organizations provide trained physiotherapists who visit your home, provide the required treatment to you or your loved one and walk you through the treatment and recovery phase.

What does the future hold?

Being the second most populated country in the world, the requirement for medical attention and services will keep growing in India. It would be foolish to expect that roads would be widened enough to prevent traffic jams or getting to visit a queue-free hospital billing counter will be possible in the near future. Keeping these aspects in mind it is safe to say that the need for home healthcare will increase in the coming years. It has been seen that the number of senior citizens will increase three times in the next thirty years. This will require more in situ medical attention and care than what is needed today. Also, the increasing number of people suffering from chronic diseases including cancer, kidney failure, Alzheimer’s disease and others will be benefitted immensely from this module of healthcare service and lead a more self-reliant, independent and dignified life.