Deccan Chronicle's story about icliniq "Healthcare Goes Virtual"
Transcript of the start-up story of icliniq.com on “Deccan Chronicle” dated December 18, 2012.
In today’s world of online networking, friendships, relationships and even businesses have become virtual. But would you ever imagine that you’d take advice from a doctor over webcam?
Keeping up with the times, health care has gone virtual with telemedicine gaining popularity the world over. One of the first to introduce it in india, is young Dhruv kumar from Coimbatore. An engineer, Dhruv’s disillusionment with life after graduation led him to consider a host of ventures – from civic service to social entrepreneurship. But it was an inspired conversation with his cousin, Dr Madhan Kumar that led to them co-founding iCliniq.
“One of my aims is to connect people. My tech team of Marshal, Vaibhav and Murugan set about designing the software that would facilitate doctors and patients to connect through cyber space. From a novice start-up in 2010, it became user-friendly and efficient by early 2012. We visited several hospitals to invite doctors to sign up with us. Today, we have 150 doctors working with us all over India,” says Dhruv.
Their imperative goal was to cure the patient, he says, adding that one concern was if senior doctors and patients would be tech-savvy enough to use the interface. “But they were! People quickly understood that the concept eliminated distance barriers, and also keep with family doctors, or experts they trusted. Even multiple conferencing for upto six people can be done, that keeps family members of the patient in the loop. Apart from online consultations, iCliniq is also used to book appointment to visit hospitals or clinics in person as well,” explains Dhruv.
