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Private hospitals in India use mobile phones to interact with existing customers to communicate information about appointments, health screenings, health camps, vaccinations etc. However, this is largely an urban phenomenon. Access to health information in rural India is virtually non existent, while some companies are trying to penetrate this market, most activities are in a nascent stage. More on this in Health on her finger tips.

No one communicates with local communities on health issues. Both Government and Private Health services use mass media such as newspapers and television to communicate with the general public on health issues – Example – dos and donts of Swine Flu, Swine Flu testing centres, symptoms etc. Mobile phones are not really regarded as a way of mass communication. At times the National Disaster Management society has used mobile phones to communicate with local communities, but this too has been very limited.

The absence of a large information repository that hooks up to multiple telecom operators seems to be limiting the popularization of Mobile Health Services.

The other challenge is that no one has really looked at consumer needs. Instead the discussion on Mobile Health has largely been around Technology Capability. Health Records on the Mobile Phone are great to have, however the larger challenge that most of us face is around the Wellness Lifecycle. Till the time Health Services become as ubiquitous as Music services on the mobile platform, penetration will largely be limited.

The consumer facing challenges are another matter all together. For any service / product to succeed. It should have the following characteristics:

• It should be needed by the target audience / consumers
• It should be part of present consumer behavior

If the above are true, most consumers are willing to pay a price and consume the service.

1. Health Information on Mobiles – Consumers have a nascent need for Health Information. While it may exist, it is not critical to my existence unless I fall sick. Even then, the existing behavior is to ask a friend, family member. Hence, a business model around Health Information on Mobiles needs to be driven by a change in consumer behavior.
Music / Ringtones on mobile phones were not a success till the time mobile companies communicated – ‘the cool factor’ through large television campaigns. While the same marketing logic does not apply to Health Information, a targeted marketing campaign around Emergency Services might not be a bad idea.

2. Personal Health Records – Storing Health Records on the Mobile Phone is an interesting concept. However, it is not exactly a felt need and definitely requires behavior change. It remains to be seen how the business model in this case grows. Do the mobile phone companies have enough belief to back this? or will the market be taken away by someone like Google? I am not sure how this will pan out eventually, but i am sure of the fact that the organization which makes it simpler and easier and integrates with on ground services seamlessly will eventually gain. Another important aspect in health records which transcends usability is trust. Consumers need to answer the deeper question – Who do I trust with my information? – a mobile company or an internet company or a hospital. While the technology may exist, success will be driven by a combination of usability and trustworthiness of the service.

3. Health Insurance Facilitation – this is a need that is being felt by many in Urban India. Buying health insurance, is like buying into a black hole. No one knows what it has, when it will appear and what the impact will be. A service that uses Mobile phones could be very useful to consumers. The service could be a combination of health issues, personal information and policy regulations. If you are in a hospital the mobile phone rather than the PC is your primary communication device. Insurance information would easily lend itself to such a service. The only challenge is the service design. Can Insurance information really be made easy to understand, universally accessible and prompt?