DocOnline launches its digital healthcare services- aims at offering increased access to doctor consulting services at lower costs for better patient outcomes

DocOnlinetoday announced the launch of itsdigital healthcare services for the B2C market in Telangana by Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS,Principal Secretary to Government of Telangana,Industries & Commerce (I&C) Department, & Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C) Department.

DocOnlineis a virtual platform that provides access to doctor consulting services by arming a user with easy and quick access to a certified doctor at the GP level from anywhere one is based.

Conceptualized in December 2016 with operations rolling out in June 2017 with an investment of $ 1 Million through private venture funding,DocOnlineis backed by Swedish based entrepreneurs and investors with an overall experience of having set up over 100 companiesbetween them.

India with a population of over a billion has one of the lowest per capita healthcare expenditure (about Rs 3000 per year) and less than 10% of India’s population has any form of health insurance cover.While there is the challenge of providing affordable healthcare to a wide reach in such a scenario, the opportunity is great for entrepreneurs to design newer, low cost business models and deliver high quality healthcare.DocOnline, thus,enters the Indian market when the healthcare industry is estimated to be worth $160 billion (in 2017).

Speaking at the launch, Markus Moding, CEO and Co-Founder, DocOnlinesaid, “Today in an age where people are hard-pressed for time and instances of personal wellbeing neglect is on the rise, it becomes imperative to offer quick and efficient services that can be availed from the comfort of one’s home – or anywhere else. Individuals must wake up to this impending scenario that unless their basic healthcare takes priority, it becomes challenging to lead effective lives.

General Practitioners are gatekeepers for all types of health conditions and a consultation at this level will help an individual to address his or her issue immediately and then seek the help of a specialist, if required. The reach of a doctor is being made possible within a time span of 15 minutes through DocOnline. This ease and convenience provided, heavily aids users as they are able to eliminate travel time and costs and get quick next-steps actions. Infact by investing in basic health care requirements, one could save hugely on medical bills- a result of first-step-action effectiveness”

In its first stage of operations, DocOnline services were launched in August 2017 for corporate employees through corporate subscribership at an affordable fee of 700 per person which in turn covers their families as well upto 3 members. This partnership allows unlimited consultations anywhere.

In the second phase being announced today, DocOnline services is launched for the B2C category where an individual can avail unlimited consultation services at an introductory price of Rs 700 Per month that covers upto 3 family members.

Markus added, “I believe technology enablement will enable us to not only scale but also reduce costs for the ultimate consumer all the while creating new value for our investment. It was also imperative that we keep the business model as simple as possible while developing innovative delivery models, helping improve access to healthcare across geographies however small or big”

DocOnline is a concept that has been developed to address a much neglected yet apparent gap or need amongst individuals on the first step of action when ill or sick. DocOnline is envisioned to offer users easy, reliable and affordable health care access. DocOnline allows one to reach a doctor either through Audio (calling), Video or Chat (App) and connects the patient at the general physician level thus aiming to bring in preventive care. The wide option of reaching a doctor makes it possible for anyone with a simple feature phone to a smartphone to avail the DocOnline offering. Users are required to download the App and have the option of booking a consultation either through video or audio. All doctors on board are MCI (Medical Council of India) certified with a minimum experience of 5 years and are available 6 days a week for 12 hours a day. Based on prescriptions, if any medicine or diagnostic test or test kit is required, the same can be delivered to one’s home or office. Users or patients also have the option of maintaining their health record on the App which can be accessed anywhere.

Sai Prasad Chakilam, CTO, DocOnline said, “Technology innovation is at the heart of DocOnline.Our aim is to simplify technology sothat it can bridge the gap and be made accessible to a large audience irrespective of whether they are in Metros or Tier II locations ; or whether they have access to a feature or a smartphone or a simple desktop. DocOnline services, thus, is available for anyone with the simplest feature phone with access to even 2 seconds of internet data” 

Mr. Rahul Paith, COO, DocOnline added “India is a country that has seen tremendous growth and opportunities being created through effective adoption of technology in various industries. In comparison, the home health care space/ tele health space has not really embraced the convenience and ease it could provide to a person under the weather through the use of technology. In a market that is piped at billions of dollars, the opportunity is huge both from an investor and consumer point of view and this is where DocOnline is looking to foot-jam into and make home health care accessible and affordable to every household digitally”

There is enormous potential – business and social – in the healthcare space in India.  Some industry statistics are as follows:

-$ 20 Million Indian telemedicine market &is growing at a CAGR of 17%, which will further see a major jump with cheap mobile data and tremendous growth of smart phone users in the coming days

-There is only one doctor for every 1700 people in India

-85.9 % of health care expenses are covered through out of pocket expenses

– According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the per capita healthcare expenditure in India is at $54 (about Rs 3000 per year), which is a fraction when compared to countries like China and Brazil.

– Healthcare expenditure in India is amongst the lowest globally – at 4.2%, less than half of the global average of 9.7%. The government budgeted contribution to this is a mere 1%.

– Less than 10% of India’s population has any form of health insurance cover.

The Indian healthcare sector is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16% till 2020, according to an August 2015 FICCI-KPMG report. The market size is growing from $2.8 billion in 2014 to $10.6 billion in 2019, more than three times.

Additionally, users of DocOnlineare assured ofbeing connected to a doctor within 15 minutes of reaching out. Itwill also felicitate subscribers with 12x6in-house customer care service. Complying with medical laws, all medical data of users will be maintained and secured for upto 3 years and this can be viewed anytime through EHR(electronic health record) from anywhere.

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