Last week, Practo marked its 12th year anniversary. What is usually a time of celebration, was a quiet time for reflection and planning this year, to gear up and double our efforts on supporting those who’ve always supported us. 

COVID-19 outbreak has brought the world to a standstill, impacting the safety and well-being of millions. In such times, we are grateful to be playing a small role by partnering with doctors and medical establishments across the country and help make healthcare more accessible through teleconsultations. As has been emphasized by a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies, and also by various doctor groups, teleconsultations will be the way forward. Practo is strongly supportive of this initiative and wants to facilitate this shift.

We started out with a vision to make quality healthcare more accessible, affordable and convenient, and we have been relentlessly working towards this goal ever since. Our doctor partners have played an integral role in this journey: one of a guide, mentor, partner, supporter and a critic!

But, above all, they inspire us, every day, to do better, be better. 

We’re disappointed to see how one of our attempts to raise more awareness and facilitate access to teleconsultation, has served only to create misunderstanding. If this episode or our effort has hurt or given an incorrect impression, we regret this unintentional act. We apologize to the medical fraternity if there was any inadvertent hurt or misgivings.

We have taken the initiative in question off the platform. 

Addressing the issue at hand

The current COVID-19 crisis reinforces the need for both patients’ and physicians’ access to technology to respond to the need and urgency for quality care. Telemedicine technology which has been around for decades is still far from becoming a mainstay. The benefits to both, patients and physicians are manifold, but the barrier to its mass adoption still linger. Today, many consumers aren’t aware of the availability of telemedicine as an option for their healthcare needs. It’s important to talk about it, its benefits, especially in times like these, and emphasize its usage over practices such as self-medicating or ignoring one’s symptoms altogether. Its benefits are far-reaching and require the whole ecosystem to come together to throw more light on it and solve for it.

This initiative was only aimed at facilitating teleconsultations amongst the users of one of the biggest online platforms. It was meant to encourage preventive healthcare behaviour. Today’s modern, tech-savvy consumers believe in proactive engagement, immediacy and convenience. Getting them to try a fairly new service, like Telemedicine, would require building awareness at a time and place they’re present and willing to engage.   

Our humble job is to facilitate the interaction between the patients and doctors, and we hope that both benefit from our facilitation. We’ll continue to work hard, to respond to the evolving needs of our doctor partners and patients, conscientiously. 

We’re committed to making quality healthcare accessible to all. And we’re determined to work with you to get it right. 

We look forward to continuing our successful partnership well into the future.

Yours
Team Practo