CLICK FIX
For
a price, portals now offer to take complete charge of your health, from fixing
doctor’s visits to providing homecare
You don’t have a doctor on call so
you do the next best thing: Go online to portals such as WizzCare, Cheeny Kum
or Bookmydoctor.in and get your medical records, medication schedules and
appointments organised in a jiffy.
Bookmydoctor.in helps you choose
specialists from across hospitals and book appointments online. The site also
has blog posts by doctors with medical tips and the latest tests, studies and
treatments available. “This site has made life so much easier. Just like I pay
bills and book film tickets online, I use the service to book appointments with
doctors, for me and my family,” said Simran Kaur, 34, IT professional working
in Greater Noida.
WizzCare, which started six months
ago, goes a step forward. Registering with it involves an expert team visiting
you at your home to test you on 60 health parameters and drawing up a
personalised health plan, including home visits. Primarily designed for older
people, this portal also offers homecare after surgery, transfers to hospitals,
when needed and a personal health manager, who is on call 24x7.
For entrepreneur Vikash Gupta, 44,
this facility proves to be a blessing for taking care of his ageing parents. “I
have to travel a lot for business, so even when I want to, I can’t be with them
when they visit a doctor. Also, parents often don’t tell us about their
problems because they don’t want to bother us. Here they can at least speak
their mind without hesitation,” says Gupta.
“In the US and the UK, these
concerns were addressed years ago using technology and home healthcare
providers. Here, there was a growing vacuum for ensuring healthcare for the
aged, and portals such as ours fill this gap,” said Raj Airey, former managing
director of Baxter Pharma, who started Wizzcare Home Healthcare Solutions.
Then there are specialised portals,
such as Cheeny Kum, which helps people manage a specific illness. Cheeny Kum’s
real-time diabetes monitoring programme can help you track your calorie intake,
sugar levels, medications, tests and get lifestyle counselling any time through
mail or texts. You can even send the portal a picture of the cupcake you have
spotted at a cafe to find the number of calories it is likely to have.
When you register with Cheeny Kum,
you are appointed a health manger, who charts out your diet plan, reminds you
of check-ups, measures your physical activity and accordingly assesses your
progress. They function in eight cities — Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Bangalore,
Delhi, Kanpur, Indore and Kolkata with more than 1,500 active patients.
Sukhada Bhatte, manager, content and
research, Cheeny Kum says, “We offer immediate support regarding queries about
calories, insulin intake and general health through instant mails and
messages.”
Mumbai-resident Dr Miraya Mangtani,
31, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 11, signed up for Cheeny Kum’s
diabetes and pregnancy care programme. “The constant assessment and tracking of
my calories and blood sugar has kept my health in balance throughout the past
four months. I also readily share my pregnancy blues with the health-manager
and she eases my concern like a well-meaning, knowledgeable friend,” says she.
Helpingdoc.com is another website
that offers booking online appointments with doctor for absolutely free. The
website lists the doctor’s professional speciality, experience, qualifications
and fee to help the user make an informed choice.
Myhealthrecords.in enables its
customers to store, manage and access their health records online. Other sites
such as medicalassistanceindia.com, asiamedassist.org and indianconsultancy.com
primarily list doctors, pricing and suitable hospitals after on-line
consultations with overseas patients.
“The regular health checks help us
stay healthy and be independent of our children,” says Gurgaon’s Nirvana
County-resident Jatinder Mehta, 62, retired professional who has signed up with
WizzCare.
FROM THE NET
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