India is transforming and so is the healthcare in India. Telehealth, in recent days, is gaining attention from around the world for the convenience it is bringing to people’s lives. With the rapid increase of technology advancements, internet usage even in remote areas, and awareness of the services, this healthcare delivery practice in India is setting its place. Many telehealth service providers are seeing this transformational phase of India as an opportunity to put their feet in and expand their reach globally. However, is penetrating India or expanding the services to rural or remote areas of India that easy? Well! With the right approach, it is. Let’s dive deeper to understand this approach and why it is beneficial.
India is a diverse land, with diverse cultures, traditions, and languages, with people having different preferences, needs, and demands. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work in India, and to thrive and succeed in this country, you will need to adopt a data-driven approach that could help you fulfill all these requirements while also connecting to the audience in their language. Indianization is an approach that meets all the concerns and is the perfect choice for businesses today, looking to penetrate or grow in the Indian marketplace. Moreover, from linguistic variations to cultural nuances, socioeconomic disparities to rural-urban divide, “Indianizing” telehealth services is not just an option – it’s a necessity.
Why is Telehealth Important? Why is the Indianization of Telehealth Significant?
Telehealth in India is gaining worldwide attention with the rapid advancement in technology, digitalization, and smartphone penetration even in rural and remote areas. But are these enough?
Healthcare is a vast field, and so are its challenges, especially in the rural parts of the country. Here is a look at some of the major problems that rural India faces today regarding the healthcare field:
- Shortage of healthcare professionals,
- Lack of infrastructure and healthcare facilities,
- Lack of proper knowledge and awareness
- Communication barrier
- Affordability and accessibility
To overcome the setbacks mentioned above, Telehealth has emerged as the right solution. It is affordable, easily accessible, and provides a set of qualified medical experts. However, the problems still do not end here. To make these telehealth services accessible to people remains the primary challenge. Well! Worry not. If you are a telehealth services provider, reaching your diverse target audience in India is no longer a tough task with the right approach.
Through Indianization, you get easy access to people from different regions. Indeed, Indianization is the key to your door to success in the Indian market. Wondering why? It is a holistic approach that offers end-to-end solutions resonating with the audience’s linguistic, cultural, and economic aspects. Moreover, it aligns the services with the target audience’s preferences and the area’s traditional, and societal norms. Furthermore, adopting this approach helps in building trust, and enhancing the patients’ experience.
How does Indianization benefit Telehealth Services?
1. Market Insights, Tips and Strategies
Indianization approach offers market insights and tips for the target area of the businesses. This helps them strategize their ad campaigns, service prices, and other executions as per the local area and the customers’ preferences. Furthermore, this helps brands to plan their ideas, connect better with the audiences, gain their trust, and earn better profits.
2. Localization
Another important aspect of promoting any business is communication. Overcoming the language barrier and incorporating Localization techniques is the best way to reach a wider range and gain the trust of your audiences. While English might be spoken globally, there are still remote areas where the natives prefer speaking only in their local languages. Also, communicating to your audience in their language helps gain trust and build lasting relationships by making your services easily understandable, and culturally relevant.
3. Culturally- relevant marketing and training videos
Indianization benefits telehealth services by providing culturally relevant marketing and training videos to help people better understand the services offered by the telehealth services provider. These videos are short, flexible, and time-saving to engage the audience and spread the information far and wide.
4. Accessibility
With the Indianization approach, your businesses can access bite-sized videos for better outreach to the masses. Through these localized videos, it becomes easier to spread brand awareness, information, messages, or instructions. These chunk-sized videos are time-saving, and engaging to attract the attention of audiences worldwide.
5. Cost-effectiveness
Last but not least, one of the most important advantages of Indianization is cost-effectiveness. Through this approach, patients could not only save their costs of travel but also collaborate with local healthcare providers enhancing credibility.
Challenges in Indianizing Telehealth
While the potential of Indianized telehealth is immense, there are challenges:
- Digital Divide: Despite the increasing internet penetration, a significant portion of the population still lacks access to digital devices or reliable connectivity.
- Low Health Literacy: Many users may not be familiar with digital healthcare concepts, necessitating additional efforts in education and training.
- Cultural Resistance: Deeply ingrained traditional healthcare practices may create resistance to adopting telehealth solutions.
Conclusion
As India transitions into a digitally empowered society, telehealth holds the promise of bridging gaps in healthcare access and quality. However, to realize this promise, services must be Indianized. By embracing the linguistic, cultural, and economic diversity of the country, telehealth providers can ensure their solutions are not just functional but transformative for the millions who need them most. Indianizing telehealth is not just a business strategy – it’s a commitment to creating a healthier, more equitable India.
