How One Man’s Dream is Making India Healthier

How can one man make India healthier? It’s a mammoth country with over 1.4 billion people, but Deepak Sahni dared to take on the challenge. As the founder of Healthians, he embarked on a mission to make health tests affordable and ubiquitous, transforming the landscape of preventive healthcare in India.

The idea for Healthians came to Deepak Sahni through personal observations and experiences. He noticed that many people were reluctant to visit hospitals for regular health check-ups due to the inconvenience, discomfort, and fear of discovering health issues. This aversion often led to neglecting preventive healthcare. “Prevention is better than cure,” his grandmother used to say. This adage became the cornerstone of his vision: what if people could get tested without stepping into a hospital? What if preventive healthcare could be brought to their doorsteps?

Driven by these questions, Deepak founded Healthians in 2015. The healthcare market was traditionally dominated by brick-and-mortar diagnostic centers, and building trust in a new model required innovative thinking and persistent effort. Healthians operates on an asset-light model, utilizing over 22 centralized laboratories to ensure high-quality service and accuracy while keeping costs low. This efficiency allows Healthians to offer competitive pricing, making preventive healthcare accessible to a broader audience. For instance, Healthians offers a comprehensive health check-up package that includes 85 parameters for just Rs. 1554, whereas other prominent players charge between Rs. 2500 to Rs. 5000 for similar packages.

The company provides smart reports that present test outcomes in an easily understandable format, along with free doctor and dietician consultations. This approach ensures that customers not only understand their health status but also receive guidance on managing their health effectively. Since its inception, Healthians has expanded to over 250 cities, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. The company’s workforce comprises over 3200 individuals, including 1800+ phlebotomists, 50+ doctors, and 150+ lab technicians. This extensive network ensures 100% accuracy of test reports, with a zero percent error rate in sample mixing, compared to an industry average of around 3%.

Deepak Sahni envisions a future where AI and big data significantly impact healthcare, enabling more precise and personalized medical care. Healthians is already leveraging technology to improve service delivery and customer experience. The company's digital-first approach and innovative use of technology have set new standards in the preventive healthcare industry.

Serving about 200,000 patients a month, Healthians has proven that affordable and accurate preventive healthcare is achievable. The company's success has encouraged other players in the industry to raise their standards, ultimately benefiting the entire healthcare ecosystem.

By addressing critical gaps in the market and leveraging technology to improve customer experience, Healthians has made preventive healthcare more accessible and affordable for millions of Indians. As the preventive healthcare market continues to evolve, Healthians is well-positioned to lead the way, ensuring that more individuals can benefit from early detection and proactive health management.