Digital Healthcare: A Paradigm Shift For The Better!

- Amit Mookin

India’s rising population, affluent lifestyles, and fast paced lives have all resulted in an increasing need for healthcare services. In the period from 2008-2020, India is expected to record a CAGR of 16.5 percent in healthcare sector spends. The total industry size is expected to touch $160 billion by 2017 and $280 billion by 2020. That is too big an opportunity to ignore.

It is no surprise then that a lot of healthcare tech start-ups have been founded in India in the last few years. These startups have leveraged the power of technology and the ubiquity of the mobile devices to disrupt existing models and reach customers on-demand.

The digital healthcare startups either operate in B2C space and cater to all people who require healthcare services or operate in the B2B space and help healthcare companies, pharma companies, insurers etc.

The B2C digital healthcare companies

Companies like Practo operate in this space and enable patients to discover doctors/ hospitals. People can use their web/ mobile devices to locate doctors or hospitals for their specific healthcare needs and book appointments from the comfortable confines of their home.

Then, there are start-ups which operate in the delivery of medicines to homes. Companies such as Netmeds enable you to check, buy and send medicines from any corner of the country in just a few clicks.

There is the home healthcare services segment as well. Companies such as Portea operate in this space and provides hospital-quality healthcare at home. It provides doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists for home visits. These medical professionals pass rigorous hiring standards and background checks. Their medical knowledge verification is done by senior doctors.

The B2B digital healthcare companies