Would You Consult A Doctor Online?
“No way am I going to a doctor here.” - That was was my German friend Christian on his trip to India a few years back. Today however, McKinsey reckons that the medical tourism industry in India should touch $2 billion by 2012. People seem to have gotten over their distrust for Indian doctors and medical facilities.
While, people are now physically traveling to destinations like Thailand and India for tourism, and getting a transplant in the bargain, what is the future for consultations online?
Take Life Force Homeopathy for instance, which is promoted by Dr. Rajesh Shah and provides Homeopathic consultations online to patients from over 127 countries, or OffshoreMD which allows a platform allowing consultations with registered and qualified Medical Practitioners, or Aapka Doctor which provides online consultancy in form of video conferencing, live chat, email, etc.
I wonder how many people actually take advantage of this facility? While the web/ mobile makes it easier to broadcast data, and hence serve as a fantastic monitoring tool, it’s utility would currently be best for follow-ups or the initial consultations, or as a great tool for monitoring the progress of people who are undergoing extended treatment.
The futuristic scenario we see in movies, with a completely virtual doctor-patient relationship would have to wait.
Filed under: Ideas & Innovations, Trends
Here is another one for your consideration, and in my book, quite inventive:
America’s Medical Solutions in Bombay, India is owned & operated by Americans for Americans and other western persons. I’ve used them three times. Their fees are paid by the doctors, hospitals and clinics to whom they refer patients. So, their a FREE service. It would have cost me exactly the same to go directly to the hospitals I’ve used which they recommended, but I got loads of other services free. One more thing; since they are living in India 24/7/365 they know what is really going on there. That’s a comfort. I can also say, just getting to know them has been a joy. They’re keenly interested in helping any way they can. Find them at http://www.americasmedicalsolutions.com