Cost remains one of the main determinants when it comes to access to healthcare in India. According to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, the strength of the specialized surgical workforce in India is 7 per 100,000 people. A report published by Niti Aayog states that only 30-35% of patients undergo surgery in India, compared to 60-65% worldwide. As a country with a high burden of disease, India is expected to experience a large number of short-term elective surgeries, but these have yet to become a priority for the masses.
“The high cost of elective surgery, coupled with the lack of accessibility and quality healthcare, is forcing a large number of people in the middle and lower income segments to ignore treatments in areas such as proctology, urology, laparoscopy and ophthalmology,” said Bidhan Chowdhury , founder of health tech startup TaCa Healthcare (India). His company proudly claims to be a patient-centered, surgeon-driven company addressing the issues of trust, cost, and accessibility for people requiring surgical procedures.
The startup has established an AI-enabled technology platform to make general and short-term operations affordable and secure. From selecting the best doctor and the process for diagnosis to admission to discharge and postoperative care, the technical platform makes the treatment journey smooth and affordable.
With over two decades of experience providing cost-effective health solutions to middle and lower income groups in the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries, Chowdhury was driven by the goal of democratizing surgical care in India. Analyzing the reasons that drive up the cost of private surgical care, such as the remoteness of large hospitals, fragmentation of so-called affordable healthcare infrastructure in small towns, underutilization of surgeons and OR rooms, and price shocks, the health technology veteran realized the it was possible to reduce surgical costs for the masses by almost 70%.
TaCa Healthcare hires full-time well-known surgeons from tier I & II cities and even small towns. This allows patients to stay in touch with the doctor they know and trust throughout the treatment process. The company provides them with end-to-end surgical care and offers a range of elective surgeries and short-stay procedures such as gallbladder stone removal surgery, hernia repair/removal surgery, and surgery for hemorrhoids, fissures and fistulas.
“We believe that India’s surgical care startup ecosystem needs to move beyond the healthcare aggregator stage,” said Chowdhury. “We need full-fledged health technology companies that can bring real-time innovation to healthcare and address the challenges of affordability, trust and security. Our innovation-led model has the potential to revolutionize healthcare in India and the rest of the developing world and to support governments in building independent secondary care ecosystems,” he adds.
“Using technologies such as AI and MI, we are facilitating the revenue growth of patient care and medical facilities and building new revenue streams for surgeons,” said Amitoj Singh, CEO of TaCa Healthcare. The startup is aggressively upgrading surgical infrastructure in tier-II & III cities. “We have plans to establish state-of-the-art TaCa surgery centers in every nook and corner of the country so that people can seamlessly access high-quality and low-cost surgical care,” he adds.
The company, which has some of India’s renowned surgeons and health experts on board, currently operates in seven states – Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Delhi and Haryana – and plans to expand more by the end of this year. than 45 cities. this year.
