Concept of Micro Healthcare Entrepreneurship (MHE) to Facilitate Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

In the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), developing countries with limited resources face significant hurdles. Traditional top-down approaches, spearheaded by governments, often entail lengthy planning periods and substantial costs to reach underserved communities. This paper proposes a bottom-up, cost-effective, and preventive approach aimed at empowering local human resources and using advanced technology. We call it the Micro Healthcare Entrepreneurship (MHE) model. The MHE model comprises four primary components: (1) utilization of local human resources, (2) disruptive healthcare technology, (3) continuous training, and (4) available funds. Extensive testing of the digital health and social business elements across diverse contexts underscores their efficacy. Furthermore, the viability of social business funds has been established. To solicit feedback and refine the MHE concept, three workshops, conducted in phases, engaged 60 community healthcare service providers. This paper elucidates both the potential advantages and the challenges inherent in implementing the MHE model. By shifting the paradigm toward grassroots empowerment and leveraging existing community assets, this approach offers promise in advancing healthcare accessibility and sustainability in resource-constrained settings to achieve UHC.