Dermatology ranks second as a popular topic for online consultation.
Practo’s healthcare map on Indian women is based on insights from 7 crore women users in the period of January 2019-December 2019. According to a recent release, the insights summarise the recent trends, which reflect the way women in India address their health concerns and take care of their health needs. Registering a growth of over 119 per cent since last year, online consultations have emerged as one of the preferred modes of doctor consultations among Indian women. Gynaecology emerged as the most popular specialty among women, especially in the age group of 20-30.
Overall, dermatology and sexology rank as the second and third most popular specialties among women users in 20-30 age group. Dermatology consults grew over 40 per cent since last year. Trichology and cosmetology were the top categories of discussion among young women who are increasingly taking professional advice when it comes to the well-being of their skin and hair. Overall, sexology consults witnessed an increase of 130 per cent in the last one year. Indian women find e-consults as a safe alternative to self-diagnosis, especially when it comes to their sexual health. It empowers them to be more proactive about their health, say medical experts.
The release also quotes Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, as saying, “Today’s consumers face three key challenges in their healthcare journey: Access, quality and affordability. e-Consults have emerged as a preferred alternative to consumers, esp. millennials, for whom time and quality is of essence. It has the power to reach users even in the remotest of villages, at the oddest of hours, when access to specialists may be a challenge. And that’s one trend that’s emerging strongly, esp. among women users. We see women increasingly using our platform to consult doctors instead of self-diagnosing or worse still, ignoring their symptoms all together. In our endeavour to make quality healthcare affordable and accessible to billions, e-clinic plays an important role, and we’re committed to widening its reach even further over the coming years.”