Indian healthcare solutions provider HealWell24, together with actress and philanthropist Gul Panag, has launched its latest web platform that provides a space for doctors and patients to connect.

WHAT IT DOES

DocsCampus.com claims to be the first online healthcare network in India. The website allows doctors to build their professional network to share and access knowledge and find school alumni, mentors and peers. It provides a safe, private space for them to share information and oaths.

It also offers a platform for patients to connect with other patients with similar health conditions and find answers to health questions or help others with their questions.

Additionally, DocsCampus will provide a platform where pharmaceutical firms can launch "timely and high-quality" products online amid the ongoing pandemic.

WHY IT MATTERS

In a statement, HealWell24 said it launched its latest platform to enable healthcare professionals across India to build a secure and seamless online network where they can find, consult and transact with one another.

"DocsCampus is a website all set to revolutionise healthcare by providing information and access to patients through a user-managed network of Doctors and Patients owned and moderated with the community at its centre," it said.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Outside India, there are existing healthcare social network platforms, such as Voro, MyHealthTeams and the Belong app by Belong.Life, all of which are for patients.

Another social network, Doximity, is a website for medical professionals. In April, it added new telehealth features on its Dialler service, such as desktop capabilities, a language-interpreter tool, group calling and patient hand-offs.

ON THE RECORD

"[W]ith DocsCampus, we would consider [ourselves] successful when we have removed the existing asymmetry of access and information for doctors or medical students in rural and semi-urban areas and their patients," HealWell24 Founder and CEO Jyoti Kumar Singha said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we certainly need more accessibility and availability for citizens across this country when it comes to healthcare facilities and interventions. It also made us realise our doctors and healthcare professionals are our 'true heroes' and hence by facilitating access to doctors, DocsCampus will definitely facilitate healthy living," Panag also said.