Mysuru region taps online crowdsourcing for medical care

Mysuru: The number of residents from Mysuru and nearby districts opting for online crowdfunding to raise funds for medical expenses has seen a significant increase in the past two years. According to statistics from India’s leading crowdfunding portal Milaap, the percentage of medical fundraisers has increased from 24% in 2016 to 40% in 2018 (to date) in Mysuru district.
According to Milaap sources, by mid-2016, the platform had around 30 fundraisers in all from Mysuru, of which only six were medical cases. But in 2017, it increased. "Now, Milaap has over 150 fundraisers from Mysuru, over 60 of which are for medical needs. Till date, fundraisers from Mysuru have collectively raised nearly Rs 2 crore on Milaap. During the floods in Kodagu, Milaap saw many fundraisers from there for relief and rehabilitation. Now, we have 20 fundraisers from Mandya, 11 from Hassan and over 62 from various parts of Kodagu,"

They added, "In Mysuru, fundraisers range from as low as Rs 10,000 - Rs20,000 to as high as tens of lakhs of rupees to meet pressing needs that must be addressed urgently. For instance, when 4-year-old Daivik whose father works at a vehicle showroom in Chamarajanagar, the family opted for Milaap. The combined cost of chemotherapy and a Bone Marrow Transplant was estimated at over Rs 40 lakh, which was beyond the means of the family. Diavik's father opted for crowdfunding when he got to know of Milaap. His online fundraiser saw overwhelming response from across the world. More than 1,500 people contributed to help him collect over Rs 44 lakh. Daivik survived cancer and is now leading a healthy life."

According to Anoj Viswanathan, president and co-founder of Milaap, "Crowdfunding can be a great, debt-free way to meet urgent medical needs. When a life depends on treatment and there’s limited time in hand, the digital domain is a great avenue to involve people from across the world who could help out. Tertiary healthcare like accident and trauma care, organ transplants, and cancer care require tens of lakhs of rupees for specialised medical care. Bone marrow transplant, recommended in cancer cases such as leukemia and lymphoma, can cost between Rs 20 and Rs 35 lakh, which for an average income family is almost impossible to arrange. The lack of financial resources is often a great impediment to access quality healthcare.”

According to Milaap, the majority of medical fundraisers from Mysuru aim for small amounts. “It’s because of the limited number of good specialized medical care for critical cases. Further, smaller towns and cities are dominated by doctor-owned primary to mid-sized clinics which offer very basic specialties. People must still travel to metros for treatment which again comes with additional costs of travel, accommodation, etc,” Anoj added.