The Challenge

Despite the disease burden increasing in India, the majority of treatment decisions are still taken without any form of diagnosis. Undiagnosed and wrong/delayed diagnoses lead not only to inflated treatment costs to patients but can also result in death and the spreading of disease. Low income semi-urban and rural areas lack access to affordable, high quality diagnostics. The options for diagnostics services are limited to low quality, pathologist/technician-run local clinics or high-end, expensive diagnostic chains.

The Innovation

AHA was founded to fill the huge need for good quality, accessible and affordable diagnostics in low income semi-urban and rural areas. The company owns and operates affordable and high quality medical diagnostic services under the brand name Asian Health Meter (AHM). The quality of AHM’s service offerings are on par with those of larger diagnostic chains, but its prices are 40 percent lower than those of organized diagnostic chains operating in the same area. AHM provides diagnostic service in communities where 80 percent of the population earns less than Rs. 15,000 a month in family income.

The Impact

With access to these diagnostic services, the total cost of treatment to patients is reduced, conditions are detected and diagnosed earlier and accurately, and patients are able to choose more effective and often less expensive and less invasive treatments.

Acumen’s investment will enable the company to expand its radiology and pathology services in the region using a hub and spoke model. The company plans to conduct nearly three million tests by 2020.