BANGALORE: Sudhir (name changed) needed a hair transplant surgery and was unable to find the approximate cost for his medical needs.
He heard about DocTree through a friend. “Through DocTree, I found five trusted names in my vicinity and their consultation fee. In fact, more and more people can benefit through such a platform and save themselves from the hassle of searching and spending unnecessarily,” he says.
The launch of DocTree just a few months ago, has come as a big relief to patients who want information on doctors and affordability.
It is the first ever virtual hospital platform connecting healthcare providers and the patients directly.
The concept aims to improve accessibility to quality healthcare India by providing easy access to doctors and price options.
“My mother-in-law was advised an operation for gall bladder removal and I found to my dismay that the entire procedural cost varied from hospital to hospital. Just out of curiosity, we shared her case with DocTree and within a day, we got two competitive price quotes from renowned facilities and best doctors in the field. Finally, the entire procedure was done at an all-inclusive cost of `50,000 which was half the price that was earlier quoted. I feel, times have changed and so has the entire mechanism of accessing healthcare. If a patient is completely aware of all available options, he can definitely make a better and an informed choice,” says Aman Siddique (name changed).
How it started
Conceptualised and started by Dr Sreenivasan Narayana, an ENT surgeon and Indian School of Business & The Wharton School alumni, DocTree presently has a growing network of doctors and hospitals across Bangalore and Hubli. Dr Narayana says, “We have over 700 doctors and associated hospitals in all kinds of disciplines ensuring that this transparent model works to the satisfaction of the patients. Presently, big hospitals like Apollo, Naryana Nethralaya, the Fortis Group, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology (SJIC) Bangalore, Sakra World Hospital and other medium and small sized nursing homes have come under our umbrella. We are still in the process of talking to other hospitals including medical colleges. For doctors, the annual subscription fee is `6000 while for big hospitals, it is `60,000. This platform is not for emergency procedures but only for elective and planned ones,” he adds.
A patient is entitled to personalised and satisfactory care at a hospital that is within his/her budget, says Kishor Joshi, country head, business development, Sankara Eye Hospital and adds, “Through this platform, one can access qualified doctors for their medical needs and have options for the cost of care they seek in a very simple and systematic manner. It’s a novel approach and a concept like this may be able to resolve a lot of road blocks in this sector especially the way healthcare is accessed as of now.”
Expanding to other cities
DocTree executive chairman S Ramesh Kumar says that they are planning to expand it to Hassan, Shimoga, Mysore and Mangalore by the end of the year and to Hyderabad by August. “We will also act as facilitators for patients to avail personal loans for health care. Through this, a patient will have access to information on surgeries and procedures. Apart from this, a regular realistic feedback from discharged patients is being sent to hospitals for better understanding of any lacuna in the health care systems,” he adds.
Visit www.doctree.in for details.