As India rapidly ages, more people require medical care at home. What’s missing? Insurance

For Srijita Basak, a resident of Kolkata, the cost of looking after her elderly parents over the past three years has run into lakhs. And there is no end in sight. “My mother had replacement surgeries on both her knees and my father has had multiple operations for his back issues after he had a fall and hurt his spine. For both, while a bulk of the surgery and hospital costs were met through insurance, none of the aftercare at home has been covered. We have incurred massive costs for home nurses, medicines, a hospital bed for home, physiotherapy and care,” said the 31-year-old, private company employee.