The coronavirus outbreak hasn’t impacted any sector as much as healthcare — and by extension, healthtech. From drug manufacturers to hospitals, diagnostic labs and pharmacies, each stakeholder in the value chain faces a compelling need to innovate.
For Gurugram-based KlinicApp, it was no different.
The startup is also in talks with other stakeholders to be able to source “100 percent-certified” testing kits and ramp up its capacity. Each ‘SARS-COV-2 Detection’ package costs Rs 4,500 as per the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines, and results are made available in 48 hours.
Satkam Divya, Founder and CEO, KlinicApp
KlinicApp has launched doorstep COVID-19 testing in Mumbai, and plans to roll it out in Pune and Delhi in a week. Patients can simply call 8929176409 and book a test, but only after they produce a doctor's prescription.
Satkam Divya, Founder and CEO, KlinicApp, tells YourStory,
Maharashtra has recorded 238 confirmed coronavirus cases and 10 deaths so far.
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What doorstep COVID-19 testing entails
KlinicApp has deployed 100 phlebotomists on ground for collecting samples in Mumbai. They are trained extensively as per ICMR guidelines, and are equipped with disposable safety suits (personal protective equipment) and other adequate gear.
The founder shares,
However, unlike other packages on its platform, COVID-19 tests aren’t discounted by KlinicApp. Besides bookings, it also provides preventive tips, hygiene and social distancing measures for users to help curb community transmission of the virus.
For healthcare operators, the challenges posed by the coronavirus have been rapid and unprecedented, but quick adaptation is what helps companies stay relevant.
Satkam says,
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Operational growth since launch
When KlinicApp launched in late 2015, India’s e-diagnostics sector was very nascent. Preventive healthcare was almost unheard of, and patients booked tests only when they were pushed by their doctors.
Monitoring health on a consistent basis was not something Indians did. To top that, most non-metro cities were either starved of quality diagnostic labs or had facilities that were unorganised and unaffordable.
Additionally, the startup also built an AI-based algorithm that allowed users to check their susceptibility to certain ailments and lifestyle disorders.
In four years, KlinicApp has serviced about 200,000 patients and conducted more than 7.3 million tests. It has expanded its fleet of phlebotomists to 300. They collect samples that are sent to NABL-certified labs for testing. Reports are made available to patients within 24 hours of collection.
"We will continue to maintain our focus on preventive healthcare, and help people monitor their health better. Diagnostics is the first step, towards that" he adds.
Does KlinicApp plan to add more categories, especially medicine delivery, which has turned out to be the pressing need in times of a nationwide lockdown?
Satkam says, “We don’t plan to get into new categories at this juncture. The plan is to go deep in the categories we already have and do a very good job of them in every city.”
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Healthcare in a post-coronavirus world
Without mincing words, KlinicApp founder observes that global healthcare has been “badly exposed” by the novel coronavirus.
The unpreparedness of even developed countries like the US and Italy has shocked the world. Investments in public healthcare ought to go up across the board.
In India, which has been under the scanner for its inadequate COVID-19 testing, investments may not go up overnight.
It competes with the likes of Practo, Mylab, Healthians, mFine, and others in a fast-growing e-diagnostics sector, estimated to be worth Rs 45,000 crore by RedSeer. Incidentally, even Practo has made COVID-19 tests available for booking on its platform in collaboration with Thyrocare.
India may have scaled only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the coronavirus crisis. But, Satkam assures that KlinicApp is “fully committed to the fight against COVID-19 and will help the nation come out of this difficult situation.”
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)
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