HealthCube

The challenge

Lack of affordable healthcare facilities, wide geographical disparity and inconsistent quality have been some of the biggest hurdles in health care in India. For every 1,000 people, India has 0.6 doctors, less than Pakistan, China and the UAE. Without access, roughly 45% of India’s population end up traveling more than 100 km to access quality care and, as a result, lose money due to travel costs, prohibitively high prices and loss of wages. The conditions are worse in semi-urban and rural areas where clinics are often run by unskilled practitioners and, even where quality clinics can be found, many lack the equipment to diagnose and treat medical ailments.

The innovation

Healthcubed is addressing India’s lack of access to quality care at affordable prices through its flagship technology device, HealthcubedPro. The product is an internet-connected, portable tablet that can conduct more than 30 point-of-care diagnostic tests as well as screenings, follow-up services and back-end health analytics. The device can be used with the aid of local community health worker, versus a doctor, eliminating the need for travel for patients. Test results are stored and transmitted to doctors either at private clinics or government facilities where they are analyzed by qualified practitioners who can deliver appropriate care remotely.

The impact

By providing affordable access to quality doctor consultation and diagnostic testing at a convenient point of care, poor customers can now receive accurate and instantaneous interventions, decreasing recovery times and reducing lost wages due to poor health. Healthcubed’s sales have predominantly been to government health centers where 100% of their customers live under $3.10 per day. To date, the company has impacted almost 40,000 people and has conducted close to 150,000 diagnostic tests. With Acumen’s investment, Healthcubed plans to sell 25,000 new devices and aims to test almost six million people using their product by 2023.