Akanksh Tandon, a 38-year-old from Madiyado, Madhya Pradesh, recalls losing a childhood friend to a preventable disease due to a lack of medical resources. This tragedy became the driving force behind his mission to improve rural healthcare in India.

“She was the daughter of my house-help. I was told she had diarrhoea, and her mother didn’t have enough financial resources to go to the city for treatment. Back then, we had only heard about the deaths of the elderly, not children. It was unfair to her,” he says.

Akanksh adds, “In rural areas, people blame their destiny and God’s will if anyone succumbs to a disease. If that is the case, then why do children in other countries not die in large numbers? It is not what God wanted for us, it is an infrastructure gap.”

Akanksh, an Electronics and Communication Engineering graduate from NIT-Bhopal, spent nearly nine years in a government job before realising it lacked purpose.

Determined to create meaningful change, he quit in 2020 and co-founded DigiQure, a health-tech startup, with his friends Saket Asati and Ankur Chourasia.

DigiQure connects underprivileged rural residents to healthcare specialists via video consultations.

The startup offers subscription-based Saksham cards at Re 1 per day, giving families free consultations for an entire year.

“For Rs 365, you get free video consultations for a year with healthcare professionals for a family of four, irrespective of the disease and number of times you want a consultation,” informs Akanksh.

DigiQure’s e-clinics offer video consultations, lab tests, and e-prescriptions. “We ensure patient engagement with follow-up calls until they get completely treated,” Akanksh adds. So far, the startup has reached 20,000 rural residents (as of 2023) in Madhya Pradesh.

Uttam Ahirwar, a farmer from Sagar district, shares his experience: “I often used to travel to Jhansi for treatment whenever I got sick. After consulting doctors at DigiQure through teleconsultations, I feel much better now, and it hardly cost me anything.”

Despite burning Rs 2 lakh per month (as of 2023) and investing Rs 60–70 lakh of their collective savings, the team remains steadfast in their commitment to bridging the healthcare gap.

Earlier this year, DigiQure appeared on Shark Tank India and secured a Rs 40 lakh deal with Namita Thapar, head of Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

With this support, Akanksh aims to expand DigiQure’s reach. “If we get more support, we will be able to make our work sustainable,” he says.

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