Various social, political, and economic disparities in India lead to social stratification. Factors such as income, occupation, education, gender, race, and ethnicity affect the access to healthcare for the population. One of the biggest gaps in health services is due to the urban and rural divide.
A staggering 70% of India’s population resides in rural areas with very limited or no access to clinics and hospitals which makes them reliant on government programs or alternative medicine. Furthermore, according to the healthcare force distribution in India, 60% of the force is catering to only 30% of the population that is living in urban areas. The ratio of urban to rural doctors which are 3.8:1 needs to be alleviated for effective delivery of health programs. Telemedicine is often offered as the umbrella solution to bridge this gap; however, many rural areas still fall behind in terms of Internet penetration as well.