The rising e-consultation in India: a closer look
Recently the Economic Times carried a report about the rise of ‘faceless’ e-consulting in India.
The article mentions the case of a 28 year old entrepreneur based in Noida. He had the issue of premature ejaculation for months but he wasn’t confident enough to talk about it to a doctor about it. However, when he came across a mobile app which offered private and anonymous consultation, he wasn’t hesitant to download the app.
No less than 10 sexologists came back with a response to his query-within the span of 24 hours. The patient then booked a consultation with one of the sexologists. His problems have now been overcome, the article says.
More consultations for discussing problems considered ’embarrassing’
More number of Indians are now seeking mobile and web consultations, particularly for problems that they feel too embarrassed to discuss face to face with a doctor. This is evident from the number of visitors such services are receiving.
For instance, Lybrate, a mobile e-health service has amassed 1.5 million downloads since its launch this January. Most of the daily queries that they receive are on topics that are generally considered embarrassing in the society. For instance, 1,000 queries are on psychological issues while 7,000 relate to sexual health.
Similar is the situation for icliniccare.com for whom half the 700 consultations each month pertain to issues considered ‘private.’ The story is none too different with evaidya.com for whom half the 500 phone consultations relate to sexual and reproductive health issues while 10% are for mental health.
Most of the e-health companies boast a panel of doctors. Patients generally have the freedom to consult specialists through chat, call or video call. Anonymity of the patient is key with almost all such services. While the age and gender fields are largely optional, it’s not unusual for patients to provide fake names. For women, unwanted pregnancy is the main reason for e-enquiries.
Regulatory issues?
One major concern with E-consultations is about prescription of drugs, given how the doctor doesn’t actually see the patient face to face. American physician groups ask for higher regulations on virtual consultations as well as drug prescriptions. In India, however, the prescription of drugs is purportedly rare.