7th November 2021, Kathmandu
Hamro Patro has started giving online consultations with specialist doctors. The app has started providing “Telemedicine” services as a “Hamro Health” feature.
This service has been started as a trial from Monday, according to Hamro Patro Inc. According to the company, the service, which is currently available to Android users, will be available to iOS users in the next two months.
This service was launched targeting the patients for whom proper, well-equipped health services are not available. Through this feature, these patients can consult with doctors online through video calls.
It is said that doctors recognized by the Nepal Medical Council can voluntarily join this service as an open platform.
Patients will be able to make a video call directly to the respective specialist doctor after obtaining a ticket for the consultation service. Arrangements have been made to get tickets online, said Shankar Upreti, founder of Hamro Patro. As of now, the ticket fee is fixed at Rs.500.
Before consulting a doctor, clients have to create their profile by mentioning their name, age, and health problem. Patients can also upload documents related to their health problems, including lab reports, to your profile.
At present, the company has 20 specialist doctors for Hamro Health. The service will be fully operational after the two-month trial.
The doctors listed in it will be able to come live for Hamro Health’s telemedicine service at their convenience and in their spare time.
However, the feature of pre-booking doctor’s time is not available at present. Users can go to the profile of the concerned doctor and find out what time it will be available online or not.
The company stated that the patients themselves have to decide which doctor they want to consult with. In case the doctor is of a different specialization, the same ticket can be used to consult another doctor. To use this feature, the user has to update the mobile app of Hamro Patro.
“We have brought this facility in operation to end the compulsion of patients from outside of Kathmandu to come for general follow-up and consultation with specialist doctors,” said Upreti, the founder of the company.
According to him, the company is also preparing to bring the feature to connect parents in consultation with the doctor in the coming days, when parents are in Nepal and the children are abroad.
After the consultation, the doctor can prescribe written prescriptions and medicine from the app. Stating that all calls have the feature of ‘end to end encryption, the founder Upreti said that the service recipients can turn off the video and talk only on audio.