DocsApp, a chat-based healthcare platform that connects patients to specialist doctors in less than 30 minutes, has reached out to people in tier 2 and 3 cities in a big way. The company earns 60% of its response from tier 1 and tier 2 cities and more than 40% of consultations come from towns, villages and other small towns falling outside the tier 3 bracket.
Through DocsApp’s, patients are able to gain access to specialists on the app anytime, anywhere. Consultation is provided in over 17 different specialties. It takes not less than 30 minutes to start the consultation from the time the user posts his/her query. Patients can either dial the toll-free number, 1800-2748-333, or access the UI on the app which is similar to WhatsApp. After the consultation, the doctor provides a report and an e-prescription. Users can also buy medicines and run lab tests through the app itself.
“In small towns and villages, people resort to self-medication or seek help directly from pharmacists to cure their ailments. It is mostly due to lack of awareness, geographical constraints, no access to specialists, and financial constraints that people have to resort to these unconventional methods”, said Satish Kannan, chief executive officer & Co-founder, DocsApp.
“In the next five years, with e-health penetrating into tier 2 & 3 cities and other remote areas , infrastructure costs of offline medical care can be reduced drastically and consultations will become affordable. In the future, geographical constraints will be a thing of the past. As the access to high-speed Internet increases, video consultations would become seamless and convenient for all” he added.
With over 1,300 doctors in over 17 departments, DocsApp has clocked over 1 million downloads on the PlayStore and serves more than 1,500 patients a day. People in remote areas are also provided with local language consultation support. Anecdotal reports suggest that 70% of primary health care issues can be handled online without the physical presence of the patient. In case a patient consultation online is not possible, DocsApp suggests meeting a doctor and refunds the entire of the fees paid.
“People from tier 2 and 3 cities are willing to pay for the app-based services, as they do not have easy access to specialist doctors. Payment for consultations can be made using one’s mobile balance, net banking, credit/debit cards or mobile wallet apps like Paytm. The number of payments received via mobile balance is higher than other transaction modes,” he said.