In conversation with Vaibhav Tewari, Co-founder & COO, Portea Medical

How will healthcare delivery see a permanent change owing to the pandemic?

There has been a transformational shift in the global healthcare landscape due to COVID-19. Apart from underscoring the importance of a strong, technology-driven response for better healthcare delivery, it has also brought about newer options for patients and providers in terms of preventive care and access to it. Homecare is becoming more and more mainstream post pandemic and patients prefer care in comforts of their homes. Healthcare is set to become more consumer centric than ever with a rise in expectations around virtual and digital healthcare. Consumers would want healthcare tailored to their preferences and this is where technologies like smart devices, machine learning, etc. will come in. There will also be a transition towards proactive health management as opposed to the previous reactive and transactional approach.

How has the National Digital Health Mission impacted in the industry?

The NDHM is certainly a revolutionary step considering India’s complicated and large healthcare landscape. It will help in simplifying healthcare access through a digital and robust technology-backed suite of services including a health ID, centralized storage of health records, etc. It will also be instrumental in enabling the early detection and management of health conditions, and shifting the focus on prevention and wellness. By introducing e-pharmacy and telemedicine, the NDHM will enable access to standard quality of medicines for the entire country. All in all, the NDHM is set to bring India closer to the Universal Health Coverage goals.

What is the importance of home isolation and care in the management of COVID-19?

About 80% of COVID-19 patients are either asymptomatic or those with mild symptoms who don’t require hospitalization. However, as soon as a person is tested positive for the pandemic, a lot of panic and uncertainties take over. This is where home isolation and management come to the fore. However, the protocols of home isolation and the measures to be taken may be unclear especially if the person is an elderly or one with comorbidities. This is where India’s leading outside of hospital consumer healthcare provider, Portea Medical, has created a holistic home isolation service which enables the monitoring of isolated patients through a comprehensive tracking system for the mandatory isolation period of 14 days. We teamed up with various state governments and authorities to provide this specialized service to people in their areas. The whole process is jointly monitored by government doctors and the medical experts from Portea throughout the isolation period. The services are available in the states of Karnataka, Punjab and Delhi apart from cities of Mumbai, Faridabad and Gurgaon. The efforts have led to significant outcomes and so far, Portea Medical has delivered high quality home isolation services to 3,00,000 patients in various parts of the country. Less than 3% of these patients needed hospitalization which is a big positive overall. Over 2.5 lacs doctor consults and 12 lacs follow up calls were done by healthcare staff in supporting these patients.

How much the demand has increased for essential medical devices at home?

During the pandemic, many people with certain health conditions were unable to visit the hospitals for fear of acquiring the infection. This is when we saw the demand for medical devices such as Glucometer, BP apparatus, and pulse oximeter surge. This is because people could monitor themselves at home regularly without having to visit a hospital or healthcare facility. All of these have become an essential part of the medical kits at people’s homes.

Do you think new-age digital health solutions are going to define the post-COVID world?

Digital health solutions were introduced to the Indian public well before the pandemic started wreaking havoc. However, it is in the wake of this situation that the utility of technology-driven remote healthcare has come to the fore. Advanced telemedicine services such as the ones offered by Portea Medical, India’s largest outside of hospital consumer healthcare company, have been very effective during this time. We have seen a 60% rise in the tele-consultation demand since the pandemic outbreak. The Ministry of Health had issued guidelines allowing registered medical practitioners to use all communication options such as voice, video and text communication for diagnosis and delivery of the services. We are confident of the services further gaining popularity among the elderly in the days ahead.

Do you see any new opportunities emerging in this crisis?

As India’s largest home healthcare company, we cover the complete range of services from ICU Set up at home to nursing, physiotherapy. In the wake of the pandemic, we have introduced new services such as chemotherapy and dialysis at home. We are also offering home quarantine services for those who have tested positive for Covid-19 but display only mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. We have supported over 35,000 COVID-positive patients in the last two months, across different states. We rely on our expertise and deeper understanding of Indian healthcare sector to stand out among the crowd. Going forward, we plan to diversify into other much-needed verticals including training of medical workers and innovation.

What changes will you incorporate for better customer services and business viability?

At Portea, customer or patient is at the center of our universe. All our services and offerings have been designed around all the medical needs of patients which can be served at home.

We are leveraging technology a lot more in the post Covid scenario, understanding patient needs while starting the services and then supporting them on an ongoing basis in the best possible manner with highest quality are all run using a centralised patient treatment management system. It helps us to have a holistic view of patient journey and allows us to plan the best treatment for them.

How has your business been managed during COVID times?

Our business has become lot more comprehensive in terms of offerings during COVID times. Remote services have grown significantly while speciality care has grown well too.

We have added services in many more segments like Oncology, Pulmonology etc to support patients at home including chemotherapy, Peritoneal dialysis etc.

We have been able to build more long term relationships with our patients as we could support them through tough times of lockdown and have helped them to recover well.