MedicSetu to provide free virtual OPD for home quarantined COVID-19 patients

A group of IT professionals launched a consultation portal, MedicSetu to help COVID-19 patients who are under self-isolation or suspecting patients to connect with doctors for regular consultations. MIT Boston alumnus Kunaal Prasad, who worked on the development of the Aarogya Setu app, Anish Kumar, Managing Director and Co-founder of I-Novate Group of Companies, Paritosh Gandhi, Director at Avaya India, Shailendra Jain, Founder of My Senior Doctors along with other launched this initiative on May 10th.

In the light of the current healthcare emergency facing India, Avaya, the co-creator of MedicSetu has joined hands with a group of non-profit organizations and doctors to rapidly improve COVID-19 patients’ access to free healthcare while easing the stress on hospitals and clinics struggling with patient care. According to the company, MedicSetu will provide free virtual OPD to COVID-19 patients under home quarantine. “This greatly increases citizens’ access to medical advice while easing the burden on stretched resources at healthcare institutions,” the company said in a statement.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our Avaya team has gone above and beyond to safeguard the health and safety of others, while supporting organizations and customers globally in their ability to respond. And once again we’ve been humbled by the incredible work that our team put into this initiative, and by their drive to use our technology for good in the face of significant societal challenges,” said Vishal Agrawal, Managing Director – India & SAARC, Avaya. “We wish all of our colleagues, their families and friends, and all in India the very best as they navigate the current situation.”

The platform also enables doctors associated with various self-help groups and NGOs, including Rotary International and Arogya Foundation of India, to contribute their services for free COVID-19 consultations to the country. Created by Avaya and I-Novate in collaboration with MySenior Doctors, the platform acts as a virtual out-patient department, using the Avaya Spaces workstream collaboration solution to connect patients directly to doctors in private virtual rooms. The non-profit organizations Rotary India, Arogya Foundation of India, and the Manav Mitra Foundation also contribute to the initiative.

With a solution to the healthcare emergency needed urgently, the platform was created within seven days. During a test phase, 163 registered doctors provided consultation to over 876 patients during that week. And with MedicSetu having proven its ability to alleviate the surging demand on hospital resources, the initiative has now been expanded nationwide with over 1,000 doctors on board. Doctors are contributing voluntarily in association with several groups to help those who are not able to afford or physically reach healthcare establishments. Doctors who have been verified by the supporting NGOs and have been registered can connect with patients and deliver free healthcare advice.