Mera Doctor: Dial-a-doc in Mumbai

So the economy is booming. India has the largest number of billionaires in the world. Aston Martin opened its first showroom in Mumbai this year. Hakkasan, the famed London restaurant has made its foie gras felt in the city and yes, Ambani can (still) boast the world’s most expensive residential property.

Of course it all depends on whom you ask.

According to WHO's World Health Statistics 2011, we’re actually in terrible shape.

The average Indian's life expectancy at birth is still only 65 years, the coverage rate on distinct basic medical services ranges from only 45 to 75 percent and 41.6 percent of India’s poor still live on less than one dollar per day.

A 29-year-old Mumbaikar called Ajay Nair is trying to make a difference to all that.

A Harvard graduate with a masters degree in Public Health, Nair co-founded Mera Doctor with Gautam Ivatury of Signal Point Partners, as a call-center facility that allows doctors to provide primary health care facilities to Indians over the phone for a nominal subscription fee. 

If you’re a Bombay-wallah, you can buy a subscription for Rs 300 from a local pharmacy. This will cover up to six members of your family for a period of three months.

If you’re not, however, you can sign up on the Internet at www.mera-doctor.com.

How does one make a diagnosis over the phone?

Mera Doctor's doctors use standard phone triage methodologies: taking down symptoms, understanding medical history, breaking down the causes of any given symptoms and then telling  the patient what to do next.

It can get tricky on the phone so the doctor won’t necessarily always give a final diagnosis; about 30 percent of their calls are referred out, however, according to Nair, “these are people who would have disregarded their symptoms if we hadn't told them to take it to the next level.” 

The rest of his patients, he claims, can be treated symptomatically.

His model is what he simply calls “standard” and is similar to Britain’s NHS Direct service.

The Mera Doctor call-center, based in central Mumbai, houses a happy group of 15. With eight doctors, five male and three female, prescribing basic medication for anything from a common cold to a back ache, the service is holistic, innovative and a first in the realm of Indian health care.

How to join Mera Doctor

A rigorous training process that includes learning how to record patients’ medical histories with a sophisticated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that follows standard international codes for medical conditions (ICD-10); more importantly, however you have to have high levels of patience, kindness and compassion and be able to exhibit those qualities over the phone.  

According to Nair, there is room for every Indian to take advantage of his new service.

A middle-class family may find it appealing because they have no time to visit a doctor, whereas a slum-dweller may call on Mera Doctor's services because they have no health care facilities to turn to. 

Nair even gets calls from plush Malabar Hill., he says. 

Interestingly enough, Nair is also targeting travelers to India, folks who often have startling reactions to the food and climate.

Says Nair, “travellers to India don’t know where to seek help when they have a medical problem. We’re looking to fill that gap.”

With his team of English-speaking doctors, Nair hopes to be able to break into this segment as well.

In just four months, the founder of Mera Doctor has been able to penetrate the market with just word-of-mouth references.

Recently he had a query from a CRPF soldier from Dantewada in Chattisgarh who was working on anti-terror operations.

Unable to find adequate solutions to his respiratory problems, he emailed the company from his cell phone -- from the middle of the jungle. Dr. Nida Shah was able to call him back and help him identify his allergies.

During the July 13 terrorist bombings in Mumbai, Nair joined thousands on Twitter to offer aid.

"@MeraDoctor lines are open for all -- please call 022 6133 6133 for medical advice." he posted.

Today Mera doctor does 25-30 consultations a day for approximately 2,000 families across India.

Nair's aim: Go nation-wide, 24/7

In a country that has more cell phones than toilets, Nair’s ultimate goal is to ensure that every Indian has access to primary health care facilities on the phone.

In time, he hopes to go nation-wide and have doctors working with him remotely.

After almost half a year Nair has learnt a fair bit about how the average Indian approaches health care. 

“Rather than a symptom, what we have realized is that Indians don’t really seek care when they should. People call us about problems that they’ve been sitting on for weeks. Educated people too.”

And why does he think that is?

“I don’t know but maybe it’s the fault of the medical system in India.  Maybe we’ve made it so impersonal today that your doctor is not your friend anymore.”  

Mera Doctor can be reached via www.mera-doctor.com and on +91 (0)22 6133 6133. Current operating hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the company plans on starting a 24-hour service soon.