24x7 Free Helpline:
022-61336155
International
Health Service Launched,
Making Healthcare
in U.P. Easier and Cheaper
Lucknow, April, 5 2013 – MeraDoctor, India’s leading
independent provider of medical advice by phone, today announced the launch of
the country’s first health protection service, including 24-hour
medical guidance from MBBS doctors plus insurance and medical discounts. The
service has been specially adapted for the Indian market from similar offerings
in the US, UK and Canada.
“Every day in Lucknow and across
U.P., lakhs and lakhs of people struggle to get reliable medical advice for
minor ailments. And they struggle to pay for treatments when these ailments
become serious. Our new health protection service makes their lives easier by
giving them 24 x 7 advice from MBBS doctors by phone on 022-61336155, plus
discounts on their medical expenses and insurance against accidents and
hospitalisation,” said Dr Ajay Nair, MeraDoctor’s co-founder. The service
M.R.P. is Rs 1499, with discounts available to groups and through special
partnerships.
In two years, MeraDoctor’s highly
trained MBBS doctors have advised thousands of people across U.P. by phone from
its medical call center in Mumbai. Dr. Nair explains how MeraDoctor’s
physicians have saved lives. One patient from Lucknow called about pain and
swelling in her legs that had not improved despite the many drugs prescribed by
private local clinics. After thoroughly probing the caller’s ailment,
MeraDoctor guided the patient to diagnostic tests that confirmed congestive
heart failure and then to medical facilities for life-saving treatment.
Dr. Dinesh Sharma, honorable Mayor
of Lucknow, marked MeraDoctor as an enterprise to watch. “I am impressed that
MeraDoctor’s founders have brought their considerable global experience back to
benefit India. And I am pleased to support their efforts to make healthcare
easier and more affordable for the people of Lucknow.”
Realizing that what customers in
U.P. wanted was both health and financial protection, the company added to its
service with medical discounts from a growing list of diagnostic and pharmacy
partners, plus insurance to protect against accidents and unexpected
hospitalisations. Members get 10% discounts at Chandan Pharmacies, and up to
30% discounts on lab tests at Thyrocare, Indra and Chandan diagnostics, and at
Apollo Clinic and more locations across U.P.
Every year more than a crore of
people in U.P. actually fall out of the middle classes and into poverty, simply
due to healthcare expenses. To protect families financially, MeraDoctor
partnered with Royal Sundaram General Insurance to take a special group policy
covering new MeraDoctor members. Subject to terms and conditions, the insured
person can claim Rs. 500 per day spent in any registered hospital. And in the
unfortunate instance of permanent disability or death, the member’s family can
claim up to Rs. 1 lakh.
Madhukar Pandey, MeraDoctor’s
Lucknow-based National Head of Sales & Marketing, explained that the
company’s strong values and its dedication to delivering the most reliable,
easy-to-use service for customers convinced him to join the mission.
“MeraDoctor’s dedication to four key
values – Reliability, Integrity, Simplicity and Compassion – plus its focus on
regularly contacting customers to ensure their good health, is a welcome change
from many services I find in India.”
MeraDoctor is a completely
independent service, which means that rather than collect cuts or pay-backs
from labs, it transfers all savings directly to the customer and only
prescribes tests or drugs when needed. Moreover, from its high-quality 24 x 7
medical call center, the company assists new members in registering for
insurance and filing claims.
Says Madhukar Pandey, “I am honoured
to make such a unique service available in my city. I look forward to seeing
the MeraDoctor protection service make it easier and more affordable for
millions of families to get high quality medical treatment.”
About MeraDoctor
•
Founded in April 2011
•
Over 55,000 phone interactions to date
•
Members in over 20 states and more than 30 districts of U.P.
•
70% of the health issues people call about are resolved over the phone itself.
In the other 30% of cases patients are guided to diagnostic centers to conduct
tests or to visit specialists.
•
Prescriptions are sent over SMS for Over the Counter (OTC) drugs only.
•
Gautam Ivatury, Co-founder. 10 years building rural and mobile financial and
healthcare startups. Founder of the $26M CGAP Program (World Bank and Gates
Foundation funded). Worked at SKS Microfinance, the International Finance
Corporation, and Signal Point Partners. Masters and Bachelor’s degrees from
Johns Hopkins University, USA.
•
Dr. Ajay Nair, Co-founder. Public Health doctor and healthcare start up
investor. Worked at Acumen Fund (Health and energy investing), Avahan Clinics
(Gates Foundation-funded), and ICICI Bank Social Initiatives Group. Post Graduate
of Harvard School of Public Health (USA) and Graduate Grant Medical College,
Mumbai.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Vishal Mishra/Vineet Tripathi
Kaivalya Communication
8756000222/87562000225
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