The IoT – the Internet of Things has brought to us the convenience of ordering anything and everything within a span of clicks. Ten years ago if I were to tell my father “Let’s buy a new house on the Internet” he would shun absurd advice in a moment. Today, I find him ordering even our groceries online.
Be it household necessities, personal care products, furniture & fittings, precious jewelry, or an array of services, anything, and everything can be bought online. I can hardly think of things that I will not be able to purchase sitting on my laptop in the comfort of my room. That being said, what is also a click away is the ease of availing of world-class fitness & healthcare services.
Bridging the gap between healthcare and IT, in 2008 Practo came into existence in Bangalore. In its journey of 8 years, it has been aiding the integration of doctors, patients, and healthcare practitioners. Today with over 1,00,000 doctors enlisted with it from across India it is leading the digital healthcare sector.
While companies like Practo and Lybrate have a strong foothold in the market, the digital space is continually buzzing with innumerable start-ups. All these companies are working towards rendering cutting-edge fitness and healthcare services, with immense convenience for the user.
Hospital systems, regulators, insurers, drug-makers, fitness trainers, everyone is setting foot into the digital space and is keeping integrated ties to broaden their offering to customers. India alone with its population of 1.2 billion is witnessing a boom in not just its healthcare system but also largely in its medical tourism.
The Business Insider states that in 2005, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) noted approximately 1,50,000 medical tourists who preferred India over other countries, and these numbers are said to exceed 32,00,000 by 2015.
To speak of its economic impact the Industry Chamber Assocham estimates that India’s medical tourism sector is likely to more than double between 2011 and 2015, from $980 million to $1.8 billion. (So we can now imagine the scale of preference that the Indian healthcare sector alone enjoys).
It is not just India alone that is waking up to realize the need of adopting a healthy lifestyle and accessing healthcare on their palm. Globally, a drastic rise in healthcare and fitness demands is being witnessed.
The availability of information pertaining to fitness & healthcare practices, services, offerings, and experiences online erases geographical boundaries & creates global awareness.
“With the growth of electronic communication, the internet, and social media, patients are increasingly making their voice heard.”
Rightly said by The Guardian, “engaging patients could be the solution to rising global healthcare costs”.
A massive boom in the digital healthcare & fitness sector globally is contributing to initiatives and ideas that can upscale the standards of accessibility & knowledge that people have about them. The best part is that most of these being available on smart devices saves a great deal of time and effort for the patient.
Check this article to explore how technology now lets you track your baby’s breathing, even while he is out of your sight.
“What if there was one place people could go to that had all the information they needed on healthy living?”
This is a question that sparked the idea of creating Purely B – a one-stop portal to accessible and affordable healthcare (that majorly caters to Asia).
For those who prefer to text than talk, the MeraDoctor app allows you to chat with trusted doctors, nutritionists, and counselors in real time. All you need to do is install the app, get your chat appointment instantly, and get answers and advice to your medical & other health queries.
If chat is not your thing and you prefer a face to face communication, Doctor Insta is here to help. The video-medicine company strives to reduce the gap between patients and doctors by connecting them virtually.
It allows patients to “consult the best Medical Doctors, Psychologists, Sexologists, Dieticians, Dermatologists, Pediatricians, etc.” in the comfort of their homes. All they need is their smartphone and access to the internet.
Coming to fitness, Mobiefit is one such recent venture co-founded by actress and fitness enthusiast Gul Panag (their ‘Chief Fitness Officer’) along with founder Gourav Jaswal. It is an outcome of Goa-based Prototyze – an “incubator” that turns ideas into businesses.
Currently, Mobiefit offers fitness enthusiasts mobile fitness through a motion engine that measures exercises through mobile sensors and a distance engine that tracks & records distance using GPS coordinates. Powered by celebrity fitness trainers the app “helps you become as fit as you want, in the way that you want.” (What more could one ask for?)
Several other digital offerings to track your fitness (encompassing wearable technology) are GOQii, Strava, and Runtastic, these are driving and inspiring more and more individuals onto the tracks of healthy living each day.
These platforms also allow you to interact with individuals from all around the world, with whom you share your interests or concerns. They render genuine help while keeping all your information highly confidential.
Not only are these growing ventures aiding in the development of healthy living for individuals worldwide, but their growth and scale are contributing to the areas of employment & economic development too. We hope the space of digital fitness & healthcare becomes more convenient and affordable each day as it continues to reach out & benefit innumerable lives.
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