Second opinion: Startup offers foreign patients more choices

The one aspect which steers the course of specialised medical treatment, the all-important "second opinion", remains largely based on individual hospital consultations and referrals.

Promoters of Treatgo, a Kochi-based startup, are trying to expand the scope of informed post-diagnosis opinion by compiling for the international patient more treatment choices in Indian hospitals.

The options are provided after in-house research on treatment on offer, focusing on the two essentials -  the quality of treatment and its cost-effectiveness.

Yaser Hameed, CEO and co-founder of Treatgo, says the idea was to bridge the gap between patients and hospitals "divided by geographies".

Once the idea was firmed up, the promoters started approaching hospitals and established contacts.

By June 2017, the startup was live. The patient submits on the Treatgo website his or her details, uploads medical reports and a city preferred for treatment - the startup has a tie-up with over 50 super-specialty hospitals in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Treatgo identifies hospitals and doctors for the treatment, contacts the hospitals for treatment plans and cost estimates and guides the patient in making the decision.

"Before travelling, patients need to make an informed decision. This is where we come in; for the patient, Treatgo is like an inside man in the hospital. There's an in-house panel of doctors who bring in their expertise to streamline the process," said Hameed.

Accreditations and the number of surgeries performed are key pointers as the team evaluates the hospital's credentials.

Most of the patients who have availed services of the startup are from Bangladesh, with cardiology and oncology the most-referred departments.

Recent reports quoting statistics released by India's Ministry of Home Affairs said that in 2016, more than  2 lakh medical visas were issued to citizens of 54 countries.

Bangladesh tops the list with close to  1 lakh visas.

India plans:

Treatgo is considering a roll-out of plans for domestic patients by April. "The marketing is entirely focused on Bangladesh now but we are considering it. The challenge will be in distributing the demand and scaling the support system," sid Hameed.

He added that  Treatgo has 400 to 500 visitors to its website every day and is converting 50 to 60 of them to clients.

Treatgo charges the client a gatekeeper fee of $10 for its services and the hospital a fee of $15 and upward, per patient registered for treatment.

The company promises a treatment plan in under eight hours and 20% saved in costs.