Top 10 Best Telemedicine and online health consultation (apps) services in India

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways. Quarantine and social distancing are two ways to prevent the spread of infection.

It means people have to stay in their homes to avoid contracting the deadly virus. But what if you have health needs? Who do you turn to? The answer is telemedicine.

Online health consultation, also known as telemedicine is stepping up as a means of safe and efficient health consultation and communication.

According to the World Health Organization, telemedicine is a must in strengthening the response to COVID-19 policy. It is one of the alternative ways for clinical services.

 

Note : For doctors who are in India and looking to join telemedicine or online health consultation services please see the latest Telemedicine Practice Guidelines (March 2020) by MCI (Medical council of India)

 

Below are the Top 10 telemedicine (online doctors consultation and apps) companies in India.

 

#1 – Practo

It is the first company to create a business model that targets to create a complete stack health-tech solution connecting the fragmented medical community with patients who have limited access to information.

(Practo is one of the leading telemedicine companies in India.)

It provides 24-hour online consultation services and houses over a hundred thousand verified doctors.

• It enables access to reliable information promoting doctor-patient connectivity.
• It provides a customizable search function of important information such as records doctor visit history including the date, prescription, test results, and billing.
• It comes with state of the art features such as appointment reminders, location tracking, and transportation options.
• It makes healthcare services easily accessible right in the comfort of a home helping you make informed and convenient decisions about your health and overall well-being. ^{(1, 2, and 3)}

 

#2 – Docsapp

It is a digital medical consultation app that makes sure patients have easy access to doctors.

Docsapp connects the healthcare ecosystem to patients from all walks of life. It comes with the following features:

 (Docsapp allows you to contact a doctor in less than 30 minutes.)

• It has specialist doctors in different departments such as dermatology, general medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and psychiatry, to name a few.
• It provides patients the option to choose between chat or call methods.
• Docsapp is similar to WhatsApp, but it is specifically designed for patients and doctors.
• Diagnostic procedures can be done at home.
• The reports of the diagnostic procedure will be automatically uploaded in the app, which enables patients to save time, money, and energy.

 

#3 – Lybrate

It was established in 2013 and was officially registered in India in 2014. Lybrate was formed by Snapdeal/Rahul Narang and Saurabh Arora. Among its great features are the following:

(It is a health platform for both doctors and patients.)

• You can ask questions about your health for free or have a one-on-one interaction with doctors with a minimum fee.
• You can keep your identity anonymous using your mobile phone.
• You can connect with doctors from various specialties. (3, 4, and 5)

 

#4 – Dozee

It is a premier health companion in India. It monitors heart health, respiratory health, promotes better sleep, and effective stress management methods. Some of its notable features are:

(It makes health monitoring easy and accessible for everyone.)

 

• Personalized solutions to improve sleep and stress recovery.
• Monitors sleep pattern and takes note of overnight stress recovery.
• It has a contactless health sensor sheet and a smartphone app that provides information about daily stress recovery and sleep scores. It also provides snapshots of heart and respiratory health.
• With personalized relaxation and sleep improvement sessions.

#5 – Medlife

It is a community healthcare company that operates in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and India. It was in 2016 when it touched ground in India and immediately became a one-stop-shop for personal healthcare needs.

(Medlife is one of the telemedicine companies that makes use of technological evolutions in medicine.)

• You can easily book appointments for physician consultations.
• Aside from online consultation, you can also buy medicines, which means you don’t need to go outside your home to buy prescription medication. The medicines will be delivered to your doorsteps within 24 hours.
• It maintains individual electronic health records.
• It enables you to find the best resources on nutrition.
• You can instantly get appointments for laboratory procedures at hospitals nearby. ^{(4, 5, and 6)}

 

#6 – Portea

It claims to be the biggest in-home healthcare provider in the country. It services a total of 24 cities and makes around 60,000 home visits every month. It includes routine check-ups, maternity care, oncology, palliative care, and geriatric/elderly care. 

(Portea makes healing at home possible through its own health-tech platform.)

• It has its own tech platform such as mobile apps.
• It makes sure that its providers strictly adhere to the standard healthcare procedures and diagnostic tools, and keep records for each patient.
• It makes sure of the geo-fencing network that divides every city into a separate segment, thus, achieving coordinated clinician visits.
• It uses an algorithm to match the patients and doctors/physicians. (7, 8, and 9)

#7 – Mfine

(Mfine continues to serve the people of India, especially in time of COVID-19 pandemic.)

It is an artificial intelligence-powered online health consultation giving you instant access to medical professionals from the best hospitals in the country.

• Initial consultation is free of charge.
• It has experienced doctors from the best medical institutions in the country such as Apollo, KIMS, Cloud Nine, Sunshine, Aster CMI, and Rainbow, to name a few.
• You have the option to connect with the medical professional using moment or video consultation.
• Earlier appointment is not necessary.
• Your identity and health records are kept confidential. Your records are safe and can be easily accessed by you whenever you need it.
• Profit subscription program for patients and families with ceaseless therapeutic issues such as asthma and diabetes.

#8 – Credihealth

It helps patients search for medical professionals and hospitals in all major cities in India. It is just any other telemedicine companies out there. Credihealth is an online platform with a human touch.

(Online video doctor consultation is one of the channels of communications.)

• It lets you schedule priority appointments with the physician of your choice.
• It allows you to get cost estimates from hospitals for much-needed treatment and surgery.
• It has a designated personal medical assistant to talk to patients and understand their conditions.
• The medical assistant suggests the cost of surgery for medical procedures such as organ transplant, cancer, cardiology, in-vitro, and urology, to name a few.
• It has a panel of over 30,000 specialist doctors.
• It has a partnership with over 630 hospitals in the country like the Fortis Group, Apollo Hospital, BLK, Jaslok, and Columbia Asia.
• The initial consultation is free.

#9 – AskApollo

(AskApollo lets you access to the top doctors in the country 24/7.)

It is a virtual consultation service from the prestigious Apollo Hospital connecting patients to the most advanced healthcare network in Asia.  A patient-centered institution that enables the patient to consult a doctor 24/7.

• It is interactive and easy to use.
• Face to face meeting with the physician via video conferencing.
• Other methods of communication such as email and voice call.
• It provides patients with a reliable source of personalized health advice that can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
• It is the first telemedicine company in India to practice evidence-based medicine.
• It has a dedicated medical response center that operates 24/7 and consists of family physicians.
• It enables users to consult Apollo doctors across all areas of specialties. (4, 7, 9, and 10)

 

#10 – Justdoc 

it is a round the clock consultation service with immediate response to patient’s questions and concerns. Through Justdoc, you will be able to access the best medical practitioners in India. Some of the top-notch features of Justdoc that make it stand out from the rest are the following:

 

(Justdoc is a dependable telehealth company in India.)

• It lets you get in touch with doctors via phone call or video chat.
• It enables you to access the best doctors in the country right in the comfort of your home.
• It houses the best doctors who are readily available to assist you in all areas of medicine such as general medicine, gynecology, psychology, and dermatology, to name a few.
• It lets you manage your health in an instant; reviewing and editing your medical profile anytime and anywhere.
• It keeps your medical record well-organized and protects your personal and health information. All information is guaranteed secure. ^{(4, 5, and 7)}

 

With online health consultations popularly known as telemedicine, people will have access to top-quality health services right in the comfort of home, especially today when the entire world is battling with a deadly virus.

COVID-19 pandemic is not only scary but deadly, which is the primary reason why the World Health Organization has imposed quarantine and social distancing. This scare has also caused many people to shy away from visiting clinics and hospitals as they are afraid that they might contract the virus there.

With telemedicine, people from all walks of life will have a fair chance of availing the health services that they need straight from the best doctors in the country. The ones mentioned above are the top telemedicine companies in India. Feel free to contact them should the need arise.

 

References

1. https://healthcare.siliconindia.com/ranking/telemedicine-service-provider-2017-rid-226.html
2. https://telemedicine.cioreviewindia.com/vendors/2019/0
3. https://www.dr-hempel-network.com/digital-health-startups/doctor-patient-platforms-in-india-success/
4. https://hitconsultant.net/2015/10/29/1019-10-indian-digital-health-startups-to-watch/
5. http://telemedindia.org/
6. https://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/telemedicine-services.html
7. https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/roundup-10-indian-healthcare-startups-you-should-know-about-792075
8. https://www.intellicon.in/sol-video-telemedicine.html
9. http://www.rxdx.in/services/telemedicine/
10. https://nursing.universeconferences.com/tag/top-telemedicine-companies-in-india/