Bhubaneswar-based startup Lyflink lays virtual route to specialised COVID-19 care
BHUBANESWAR: While tele-consultations have become the order of the day in wake of the pandemic, a Bhubaneswar-based startup Lyflink has been helping infected patients in both rural and urban areas connect with specialists for COVID care.
While the consultation charges for those who can afford it is nominal, that for the needy patients in rural pockets of Odisha is free. Founded by Dr (Major) Sarthak Patnaik, a sports surgeon and Prof of Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine at SUM Ultimate, LyfLink was rolled out in 2018 to connect patients in rural areas with specialists in Bhubaneswar.
Realising that COVID infected patients in rural areas are finding it difficult to get consultations with specialists, the team came up with two packages - COVID-14 and Post COVID Care - in the healthcare platform three weeks back.
Under COVID-14 package, an infected patient’s health condition will be monitored round-the-clock by a specialist every day throughout the isolation period of 14 days and there are also provisions of free drug delivery and tests besides, on-call nursing care for the elderly.
"Similarly in the post COVID care package, we offer consultations to patients on medicines, exercises and diets to help them recover," said Patnaik, who served the Indian Army for five years as a Major. Currently, Lyflink - which is recognised by Startup Odisha, is catering to 35 COVID patients online.
While the start-up has roped in 400 specialists like orthopedics, neurologists, oncologists, pulmonologists besides, nurses for tele-consultations, it currently has five digital clinics at Sainatala in Balangir, Binka in Sonepur, Begunia in Khurda, Keonjhar and Ganganagar at Bhubaneswar.
These digital clinics are health kiosks that are equipped with the Lyflink mobile link and laptop through which the patients are connected to doctors, said Patnaik, adding that poor patients who come to the digital clinics are provided free consultation.
Two weeks back, he also started a COVID medicine bank - Lyflink Cross - through which people can donate unused COVID medicines that would be provided to people who cannot afford them, for free.
Hailing from Keonjhar, Patnaik said he started the healthcare platform to address the issues of reachability and getting appointment of specialists.