Indian Healthcare Uphill March against Entrenched System Date:   Wednesday , July 02, 2014 Artiman Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm with offices in Silicon Valley and Bangalore. The firm operates in diverse sectors including enterprise, financial services, construction, food, healthcare, software and hardware. The Innovation of Healthcare in India, Healthcare in India is at a crossroads. On the one hand, it\'s never been rosier. According to the World Health Organization, India has made significant strides over the past 50 years by improving life expectancy from 42 years to 65 years, reducing infant mortality by two-thirds, and eradicating small pox and polio. Yet on the other hand, the rising incidence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac disease will eventually overwhelm a system that is already hampered with limitations in accessibility, affordability, and awareness. The elephant in the room is the wealth disparity that is clearly evident in the Indian healthcare system. Those in the lower socioeconomic strata are confined to underfunded public facilities and insufficient medical providers, whereas those with the ability to pay have the chance to enter world-class centers of care that offer cutting-edge technology and super-specialists at their beck and call. Interestingly, the summation of all of these factors makes the current climate in healthcare a fertile area for both entrepreneurs and investors. The answer to India\'s crisis in healthcare cannot be addressed by simply throwing more money at the problem. The process will need decentralized care, physician extenders, and greater involvement of consumers in their own self-care. Technology will need to be leveraged in each area to create solutions that will improve quality and service without driving up cost. We are already seeing the early promise of telemedicine extending the specialist\'s reach, vision-screening vans facilitating efficient rural outreach, and the early nibbling of electronic medical records. Future innovations will come from tapping into the one object that straddles individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds - a cell phone. Understanding the potential of using SMS and mobile health apps can help us find actionable information to manage individual and population health. Advice for Entrepreneurs The best opportunities for entrepreneurs in healthcare should: 1) Revolve around solving a problem worth solving - meaning fix something that is a big deal which affects everyone and is a \"must have\" to all providers and not just a tiny irritant for a few. 2) Incorporate what has worked successfully in other similar countries and learn from what has failed there as well. 3) Gather the best and brightest as you lay the foundations of your team. Our Outlook At Artiman, one of our biggest healthcare initiatives is to empower consumers to be active participants in their own healthcare. It is time for them to challenge the status quo around diagnostic testing, treatment decisions, and the need for certain procedures. Our belief is that technology can create platforms that will add a layer of objectivity to a very subjective practice. By enabling consumers to become more aware and informed, we allow them to be partners in the process. Over time, this will lead to a paradigm shift that will prioritize wellness and prevention. India will need to move forward in this uphill march against the entrenched cultural roots of the medical system in order to catch up with the momentum in the developed world.