India’s Home Health Care Crisis: Unregulated and Unequal Access

The demand for home health care in India is growing rapidly, especially among the elderly and immobile, but the sector remains largely unregulated, fragmented, and accessible only to those who can afford it.

When Ani Grace Kalaimathi, registrar of the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council, searched for a home health assistant for her mother, she was confronted with the gaps in the system. The young women who applied claimed to be trained nurses, yet were unable to carry out even basic caregiving tasks.

Her experience is not unique. Across India, families struggle to find qualified and trustworthy caregivers for elderly relatives. Experts point out that while private agencies offering home care services are mushrooming, proper training and standardization are often missing. This lack of regulation has created a system where quality varies widely, and vulnerable patients frequently receive substandard care.

Service providers in the elder care space acknowledge that the sector is fragmented and poorly monitored. Without a proper regulatory framework, patients are left to navigate a confusing mix of services that often fall short of professional medical standards.

As India’s ageing population grows, experts warn that strengthening the home health care sector will require urgent policy interventions, strict regulations, and structured training programs to ensure safe and affordable access for all.