The COVID-19 pandemic put the world at a standstill. But it essentially handicapped the lives of the elderly people living alone. According to 2016’s Elderly in India report, 8.6% of India’s population or around 103.9 million Indians are over the age of 60. Of which 73.3 million lived in rural parts of India. Many had their kids living in different cities due to jobs or education. 

During the lockdown, HelpAge India an organisation for the disadvantaged elderly reported a dramatic increase in the number of worried calls. Most were from distressed senior citizens who feared they would die alone and unassisted.

To cater and take care of this section of the society Amol Bagul, Aditi Poyam, and Lavender Singh Rathore decided to start Sarathi Healthcare in the middle of the pandemic induced lockdown in 2020. Sarathi, or companion in Hindi, prioritises and provides holistic care for the elderly by providing them well-rounded preventive and emergency healthcare. The venture provides them end to end care with compassion so that the elderly can live their lives independently with dignity and respect.

They are a 24x7 medical service platform that gets medicines Home delivered, engages in regular care calls, sets dosage reminders, amongst others. They also offer teleconsultation, full-body check-ups, home visits, expert consultation on food, fitness & lifestyle. They also provide mental health therapies. It is a one-stop solution for all elder care needs. It was designed to help adults living far from their parents take care of them through Sarathi. They have so far impacted around 5000+ lives including patients suffering from chronic diseases.

The venture was accelerated by Jodhpur-based Marwari Catalysts Ventures, which aims to create impact in tier 2 and 3 cities of India. In May 2021, the venture received Rs 1 crore as seed funding from angel investors Nitin Sethi, Vishal Dhikale, Swapnil Bagul and Gaurav Satbhai. With the funds, Sarathi Healthcare wants to venture out of its current location to different cities like Nasik, Jaipur, Ajmer, Nagpur and Pune. They would also bolster their teach and tech products.

Will Sarathi Healthcare help add healthy lives to 73.3 million elderly of rural India?