- By JVG Krishna Murthy
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WHEELS Healthcare Initiatives
Nishank Seth
A few years ago, I visited AIIMS—All India Institute of Medical Sciences—in New Delhi with my grandparents. It’s one of the best research-based hospitals in India run by the government. I remember walking to the entrance and seeing hundreds of people sitting and waiting on the sidewalks outside, many of them looking sick and tired. Some had traveled for days from faraway villages just to try and see a doctor. It was honestly kind of shocking. I had never seen anything like it before.
That visit made me think. Most of the time, I take my health for granted. I also take for granted how easy it usually is for me to get medical help when I need it in the United States. But that’s not the case for everyone—especially in places like rural India, where so many people struggle to get basic healthcare.
India is the most populated country in the world, and about 65% of its people live in rural areas. That’s a huge number—millions of people—who don’t have enough doctors, hospitals, or even medicine nearby. A lot of them have to travel to big cities, like New Delhi, just to get help. But even in cities, it’s not easy to get an appointment or find affordable care.
While there are many private hospitals, most are too expensive for poor families. That’s why hospitals like AIIMS are packed. One fact I found surprising is that 48% of overnight trips made by people in rural India are for medical reasons, while 60% of overnight trips made by people in cities are for vacations (source). That shows how serious the healthcare situation is in the villages.
There are a lot of problems in the rural healthcare system: not enough clinics, not enough trained doctors or nurses, and bad roads that make it hard to travel to hospitals. Even treatable illnesses like malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrhea can become deadly if people don’t get help in time.
In fact, the under-five death rate in rural India is 39 per 1000 people, compared to 25 per 1000 in urban areas (source). That’s a huge difference, and it shows how unfair the situation is. The reason so many doctors avoid rural areas is that they get paid more in cities and have better living conditions. It’s also tough to get trained workers to stay in remote villages. So the people who need help the most often don’t get it.
But some good things are happening. The Indian government started programs like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the Lifeline Express, which is basically a hospital on a train that travels to remote places to treat people (source).
There are also nonprofit groups doing important work. One of them is the WHEELS Global Foundation. They’re using technology to bring healthcare to rural areas through a system called HEART (Healthcare Easy Access for Rural Community via Telemedicine). In this program, they set up small village centers with trained assistants and equipment. People come in, talk to a doctor on a video call, and get a prescription sent to a local pharmacy. It’s smart, efficient, and doesn’t require a big hospital building.
Many villages in India lack clinics, doctors, and even basic diagnostic tools, so villagers are often forced to travel long distances to nearby towns, which adds cost, time, and stress—especially if they have to stay overnight or miss work. Because of this, people tend to delay seeking care until their illness becomes serious, even though early diagnosis would have been cheaper and easier to treat. The HEART model solves these problems by combining advanced technology with trained local health workers called Sahayaks. WHEELS partners with local NGOs to set up these centers in villages of 3,000–5,000 people, trains male and female villagers to operate the system and donates essential equipment like smartphones, a printer, and medical tools. The model is affordable and self-sustaining, while also creating local jobs and improving access to quality care for people who need it most.
The SEVAK program is another powerful way WHEELS Global Foundation is helping people in rural India. SEVAK stands for Sanitation and Health, Education in Village communities through improved Awareness and Knowledge, and its mission is to improve access to care using local resources. SEVAKs are trained village health workers who screen people for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity—problems that are rising fast in rural India. They also help spread awareness about clean drinking water, proper sanitation, and healthier lifestyles. Since there’s often no organized healthcare delivery in these areas, SEVAKs help fill a huge gap by reaching people before their problems become serious. What makes the program strong is that SEVAKs are chosen from the village itself, so they know the language, the people, and the challenges. After a three-month training program, they return to serve their communities while continuing their regular lives and work. Their efforts are helping create long-term change and a healthier future in places that are often overlooked.
It’s really inspiring that people are trying to fix this. But they can’t do it alone. More people need to know about what’s happening in rural India and support the efforts to make healthcare more fair and available for everyone. Just because something isn’t happening where we live doesn’t mean it’s not important. Everyone deserves good healthcare—no matter where they are.
We should support organizations like WHEELS Global Foundation because their mission is so important. By focusing on the needs of the Rurban population, they are helping bridge the gap between rural and urban healthcare and improving the lives of millions. I encourage you to visit the Health section of the dozens of Initiatives WHEELS is supporting and scaling to address complex challenges in rural India.
Sources:
1. Economic Times
2. Impact India
3. Science Direct
