Practo, India’s digital healthcare platform has announced the launch of a new monthly healthcare plan under the umbrella of Practo Plus.

It is a subscription-based healthcare plan that provides unlimited online consultations with doctors from over 20 specialities. This plan has been conceived with an aim at making quality healthcare affordable and accessible to all.

As per the company statement, “In these changing times when seasonal diseases and chronic ailments are demanding constant medical attention, this plan renders 24*7 access to quality healthcare, irrespective of the time and location of the patients, from a network of thousands of doctors. This gives patients reassurance, and counters the popular, but not preferred, route of self-diagnosis and self-medication. Corroborating this, Practo’s online consultation witnessed a 93% increase over the last year. An average user consults a doctor online close to 1.5 times a month while Practo Plus health plans have empowered users to consult 3x more number of times. The plan not only helps people save 10x the amount of money spent on doctor consultations, but also makes them proactive about their health and ensuring that no symptom goes undiagnosed.”

Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo said, “In India, more than 50% of the people resort to self-medication. In the wake of widespread diseases threatening to spread a lot of false symptoms and remedies, it is imperative that we inculcate the habit of consulting specialists for health issues. Unlimited online consultations encourage people to clarify their queries with specialists instead of self-diagnosing. It can also act as the first line of defense, helping curb overcrowding at hospitals and clinics. We are thrilled to introduce the new monthly Practo Plus plan, which also aligns with the government's vision of a healthy India, where there’s access to high quality and affordable healthcare services to all. Over 18 crore patients have received high quality care through Practo and Plus is aimed at making it even more affordable and accessible.”

As part of Practo econsult, there are qualified doctors who give quality medical advice on health issues and help patients identify next steps which may include further tests, a prescription or lifestyle tips. Built in features like image sharing, voice calling and video call (only on app) ensures that doctors get all the required information for a diagnosis, and refer for a physical visit to a clinic if required. The response time to get in touch with doctors is also as low as one to 60 seconds in some specialities. Every consultation on Practo is completely private and confidential.

Practo Plus network has 30,000+ doctors, clinics and hospitals across specializations. 70% of the doctors in the Plus network have more than 10 years of experience and all of them are highly rated by patients. Practo is dedicated towards building the network and adding thousands of more providers over the coming months.