Jaipur, June, 24, 2015: Increase in life expectancy, elderly people living alone, shift from joint to nuclear families leading to paucity of care providers at home, better awareness and rising disposal incomes are factor that have created a new market for increased home healthcare services in Indian cities like Jaipur.
Home healthcare services providers have responded to this new phase of demand by creating new facilities that were unheard of till a few years back. The homecare market has developed and grown much beyond the nurse providing agencies that dominated the landscape of smaller cities till a few years back. Gauging the shift in market, today homecare providers have adapted to the changing needs of patients and evolved into an industry that caters to a wide variety of needs of patients.
Noting this shift across India, Heathcare at Home launched its services in a few north Indian cities including Jaipur last year, and has contributed hugely to transforming the market, as well as demand and supply mechanics.
According to Dr. Javed Qureshy, Consultant Intensivist – Department of Critical Care, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur, “Assume a patient who can be taken care at home but still in hospital because there is not expert hand at home who can look after him. And at the same time there is a needy patient waiting for bed. Home healthcare providers are coming as helping hand to the hospitals. They can never be substitute to the hospitals but will definitely be the extended hands.”
With elderly patients needing special care in managing ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, hypertension; patients needing special post surgical care; healthcare providers are now offering radically new services at home that till a few years back could not be imagined.
Creating ICU services at home, providing chemotherapy to cancer patients at home, ensuring that critically ill kidney patients do not have to travel long distances several times a month by providing dialysis facilities at home – home healthcare providers have evolved their services dramatically.
According to Dr. Mumtaz Ali, Senior Consultant Intensivist – Department of Critical Care, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur, “With the advanced and enhance science & technology home healthcare providers are also extending doctors reach to the maximum number of people. With the technology reach we doctors are able to help many patients who are unable to come to hospital or confined to bed”.
There has been a huge growth in the home healthcare market in Jaipur in recent years. More and more people today are opting to seek care in the comforts of their homes, rather than spend long duration in hospitals where risk of infections is also high. Jaipur residents have lapped up the new services and are actively seeking them to reduce dependence on hospitals, find better care for parents in their busy schedules and improve their lifestyles.