The Future of Telehealth Business In South Asia

Connecting with people from all over the world through electronic devices and with an internet connection is easy and fast. This reform also changed how businesses are operated now. Today the majority of the businesses are done online and according to the Nasdaq stats, 95% of purchases would be done online via mobile phone in 2040.

The change in the business sector is not just limited to eCommerce websites or related to physical products. Now services are also provided online. Services related to IT, education, health, and entertainment all are provided online at much lower prices.

However, the most important and improving sector in many developing countries is the health sector. Countries in the South Asian region are one of the living examples where telehealth services are just getting started. In developing countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka doctors are limited, and treating too many people in a limited time is really challenging. Therefore in such countries, there is a great possibility that the telehealth businesses will have a major impact and it will improve the healthcare sector. Let’s get into the details of the healthcare sector of some of these countries below.

1.       Afghanistan

Afghanistan is one of the developing countries that do not have a structured healthcare system therefore it is difficult for the people to seek medical advice on time. The major reason behind it is the lack of government coordination with the healthcare sector. Besides this, other reasons like lack of security, infrastructure, and unskilled labor are also the hurdle in the betterment of the healthcare system. Although they have 18 million mobile users and telehealthcare businesses have the potential to benefit the maximum number of people but before that hospitals and security systems should be reformed.

2.       Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a 161 million-plus population and the major problem they are struggling with is the poor healthcare system. The healthcare system of Bangladesh consists of government, for-profit private sector, not-for-profit private sector, and international development organizations. There is no proper healthcare regulation therefore many people face difficulty while seeking medical services. However, there is a great opportunity to start a telehealth business in Bangladesh because the literacy rate of Bangladesh as per the 2018 survey is 74%. With such a literacy rate people of Bangladesh will understand the benefit of using telehealth services more quickly and easily.

3.       India

India has the biggest population and therefore they have the major responsibility to provide better healthcare services to their people. The healthcare sector of India is unlike previous countries and they are continuously improving to provide better healthcare services. Recently India considered investing in hospitals, medical devices, clinics, and telemedicine businesses. This investment will help in providing cheap and timely healthcare services to the people of India.

4.       Pakistan

Although Pakistan is a developing country but recently telehealth services in Pakistan are increasing and improving. The current government of Pakistan took the notice of the healthcare sector and invested in hospitals for better and cheap health services for poor people. Through the new healthcare businesses, now people of Pakistan can get health services on their handset and can connect with doctors through online audio and video consultation. Today people don’t have to wait in long queues and they can save their transportation costs also by not traveling to big hospitals from far away. In the future, there will be a further improvement in the health sector.

Summing Up

Many developing countries are facing health-related problems and the main reason behind it is poor governance. Countries like Bangladesh and Afghanistan have the potential to improve their health services by investing in telehealth businesses. In the future, there is a high probability that the new telehealth business will start in the South Asian region.