An App A day brings the Doctor Close by in the Digital Age

In an era where you can get your food and other necessities using a mobile application, consulting a doctor using one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Apps are offering round-the-clock medical consultation through smartphones. From special services for diabetic patients or the elderly to offering doctors a spam-free and secure environment to communicate with each other, its all app-solutely possible.

Take Doctor Insta, which claims to be India’s first telemedicine platform with constant coverage for patients. “The platform provides smart, proactive, informed second opinions from top specialists in the US, and has 50 doctors on board,” says Amit Munjal, its Founder and Chief Executive. The doctors are selected by an expert panel of medical professionals. And specialists available on this platform include paediatricians, psychologists, nutritionists, gynecologists, even homeopaths.

At Curofy, an app aimed at doctors, medical professionals can provide referrals, share cases, call other doctors without saving numbers and access specific and recent research developments. At CallWithDoctor, patients can talk to a doctor anywhere in the world at a time and from a location of their choice.

Wellthy Therapeutics caters to diabetic patients. A digital therapeutics company, it uses artificial intelligence (AI) and patient-centric designs to help improve patient outcomes for everyone involved in diabetes care. And Dawai Dost is designed to help the elderly. It keeps track of their schedules and reminds them to take their medicines. An important feature here is the voice notification that reminds the user in their native language (Hindi and Tamil currently, with plans for more).

Revenue models vary across apps: some take a consultation fee from patients; others tie-up with pharma companies and corporates to generate income

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