IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i6p2268-d1353731.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Forhad Hossain

    (Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Rafiqul Islam

    (Data-Driven Innovation Initiative, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Takuzo Osugi

    (Faculty of Business Administration, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan)

  • Faiz Shah

    (Yunus Center AIT, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand)

  • Tsunenori Mine

    (Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Naoki Nakashima

    (Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan)

  • Ashir Ahmed

    (Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Forhad Hossain & Rafiqul Islam & Takuzo Osugi & Faiz Shah & Tsunenori Mine & Naoki Nakashima & Ashir Ahmed, 2024. "Concept of Micro Healthcare Entrepreneurship (MHE) to Facilitate Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Prospects and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2268-:d:1353731
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/6/2268/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/6/2268/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Cabanillas-Carbonell & Jorge Pérez-Martínez & Jaime A. Yáñez, 2023. "5G Technology in the Digital Transformation of Healthcare, a Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Gabriele Palozzi & Irene Schettini & Antonio Chirico, 2020. "Enhancing the Sustainable Goal of Access to Healthcare: Findings from a Literature Review on Telemedicine Employment in Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-30, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mudassar Ali Khan & Ikram Ud Din & Byung-Seo Kim & Ahmad Almogren, 2023. "Visualization of Remote Patient Monitoring System Based on Internet of Medical Things," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Radhakrishnan Subramaniam & Satya P. Singh & Parasuraman Padmanabhan & Balázs Gulyás & Prashobhan Palakkeel & Raja Sreedharan, 2021. "Positive and Negative Impacts of COVID-19 in Digital Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Kiyotoshi Kou & Yi Dou & Ichiro Arai, 2024. "Analysis of the Forces Driving Public Hospitals’ Operating Costs Using LMDI Decomposition: The Case of Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Chongling Sun & Evangelia Chrysikou & Eleftheria Savvopoulou & Eva Hernandez-Garcia & Ava Fatah gen. Schieck, 2023. "Healthcare Built Environment and Telemedicine Practice for Social and Environmental Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, February.
    5. Francisco Haces-Garcia & Craig L. Glennie & Hanadi S. Rifai, 2022. "Sustainability of Network Infrastructure in a Geospatial Resilience Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-16, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2268-:d:1353731. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.