“In 2006, when I was based in the United States, I was admitted to a hospital because of an illness. With my family, I assumed that I was going to be put up there for at least a week. To our surprise, I was discharged within a few hours, with procedures and medicines to be followed at home, with a certified nurse or a doctor.”

Mr. Hetal Desai added to this that the healthcare system in USA focuses more on home care. The doctors believe that it reduces the chances of infection and you being with your friends and relatives can lead to faster recovery. In India, there are  hospitals, which are not very sterile, and  you might not get the desired category of service, he thinks. There are not enough rooms, not enough hospitals and the number of patients are increasing ever so.

“Pankaj Nathani, a renowned doctor at the Adventist Wockardt hospital, shared his idea of home health care with me, as an increasing demand in India.” For Mr. Desai, he also realized that it would be a really noble service with good business opportunities. Together, they coined the idea of ‘Care at Home’.

‘Care at home’ is an ambitious project and has been well accepted by the people in Surat. He plans to expand his horizon to the B towns of Gujarat like Baroda and Rajkot by the end of 2016, move nation – wide.

When asked, he eagerly explained the work undertaken at Care at home. “We are home-based medical service providers – doctors, physiotherapists, caregivers, nurses, blood sample collection, rehabilitation programs. We have not tied up with any hospitals and have a well trained in -house staff. We offer reliable and affordable services so we get business through references only. “ He has learnt from his experiences and makes sure to imply it into his business. For him, it is all about providing good service and not just about making money.

It’s an idea that benefits everyone. One, the sheer pricing of it is such that the service makes itself accessible to a bigger spectrum of the economy classes. Two, in times of medical emergencies, staying at the hospital for long can be disorienting. During those times, things would get much more helpful and better, if the patient could get all of the medical care that they need, right at their own homes.  An idea that indeed has a huge potential to make the healthcare in our city much better.

A big shout out to Mr. Hetal Desai for bringing in a new wave.