Online Chikitsa Mitra: India’s Leading Rural Health-Tech Startup

Online Chikitsa Mitra was born out of Shubhang Tandon's profound belief in leveraging technology to democratize healthcare access. Moved by the stark healthcare disparities in rural India, Shubhang envisioned a future where quality medical care was a right, not a privilege.

His sister, Smriti, inspired by this vision, joined as a co-founder, bringing her extensive experience in operational excellence to the table. Together, they embarked on a transformative journey, not just to revolutionize healthcare delivery in India, but also to establish a sustainable business model that prioritizes wellness and empowerment.

Little did they know that they would end up spreading across 15 states through 500 e-clinics and impacting thousands of lives across India!

The Co-Founders

Shubhang Tandon is an alumnus of MIT where he studied Masters in Engineering. He had pursued Nuclear Engineering at Georgia Tech. Shubhang worked at Eureka Forbes for about a year where he made significant contributions to Product and Research. Later he founded Xpress Pathlabs in 2016. In the same year, he also founded Online Chikitsa Mitra. 

His sister Smriti Tandon had a different career path. She earned a B.A. (Hons.) from Liverpool University and honed her negotiation skills at the London School of Economics. Her love for baking also led her to pursue a diploma in patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu, London. She later spent a decade in the automobile industry, managing an authorized dealership of Maruti Suzuki. She eventually joined her brother in 2022 to work towards a joint mission: to make healthcare accessible in the remotest of India. 

The motivation:

Shubhang Tandon was studying abroad when he witnessed firsthand how technology was revolutionizing healthcare, even in resource-limited settings. His observations highlighted the significant advancements being made and inspired him to think about how such innovations could benefit other regions, which led to the foundation of Online Chikitsa Mitra.

Meanwhile, back in Lucknow, his sister Smriti Tandon faced a situation where a family member urgently needed specialized care. This personal experience made her realize the stark difference in healthcare quality and accessibility between Indian tier 2 cities and more developed regions.

Motivated by these parallel experiences, Shubhang and Smriti were driven to bridge the gap between healthcare standards in developed and developing regions. Their determination led them to create a platform aimed at improving healthcare access and quality through technology.

Shubhang told the journalist from Startup Pedia, “During my studies in the US, I had an experience of working on a healthcare product design project that changed my vision remarkably. It focused on creating point-of-care diagnostic equipment for resource-constrained environments. This project highlighted the stark differences in healthcare technology between developing and developed countries."

 "It made me keenly aware of the challenges faced by healthcare providers in underserved areas and demonstrated how technology can vastly improve healthcare outcomes. Through this project, I understood the urgent need for advanced, accessible healthcare technology in underserved regions. So we of course had to do something for India, and Online Chikitsa Mitra, registered in 2016, and we did pilot projects, setting up hubs in Uttar Pradesh. It was only in 2019 that we started on this model of partnering up with medical store owners and e-clinics were set up”, he added.

How Online Chikitsa Mitra (OCM) works:

Bridging the gap in healthcare access across India through a comprehensive digital platform, OCM connects patients with specialized doctors from various parts of the country using a user-friendly digital platform. This eliminates geographical barriers, ensuring that everyone can access expert medical care irrespective of where they reside.

Smriti explained to the journalist from Startup Pedia, “We have established a network of E-Clinics in rural regions, providing physical access points for those who may not have personal technology or reliable internet connectivity. These E-Clinics serve as vital hubs for delivering essential healthcare services directly to the community.

This platform facilitates long-term healthcare management through features such as medication reminders, follow-up scheduling, and digital health records. These tools enhance patient engagement and treatment compliance, particularly crucial for managing chronic conditions effectively. Our telemedicine services also enable remote consultations, reducing the need for travel and making healthcare more convenient and accessible. 

We also empower patients with educational resources that provide insights into their health conditions and promote preventive care measures. By promoting health literacy, we empower individuals to take proactive steps towards better health outcomes.” The holistic approach not only improves treatment outcomes but also contributes to enhancing overall community health across India.

Challenges

When OCM was launched it was pre Covid times and online consultations seemed like a far-fetched dream. The biggest obstacle being limited digital literacy along with inadequate internet infrastructure in rural areas.

Shubhang told the Startup Pedia journalist, “Our Mount Everest was convincing rural India that online consultations are as reliable as a doctor's stethoscope.”

Shubhang Tandon handled these challenges by developing user-friendly interfaces, offering local language support, and creating offline-compatible features for the platform. We didn't just face skepticism; we confronted it head-on. We partnered with local medical stores, conducted pilot projects, met with village ‘Pradhans’, and organized both online and offline health camps. We even engaged in door-to-door outreach to educate about the benefits of telemedicine.

Each new location where we operated presented unique variations of this trust-based ecosystem, requiring us to continually adapt our approach. To tackle this challenge, we leveraged existing trust networks rather than trying to replace them. Healthcare in these regions thrives on trust and personal relationships, thus we made them our stepping stone. The first relieved smile after a successful e-consultation was priceless! 

The human touch to technology

Smriti spoke to the journalist from Startup Pedia how human touch proved effective in the success of OCM, “while we still believe in the transformative power of technology, we've come to appreciate that it's the human connection that elevates a good healthcare solution to a truly exceptional one and our updated mantra which is ‘Tech for health, touch for healing.’ reflects this insight." 

"Our journey taught us a crucial lesson that healthcare is not just about algorithms and apps; it's about trust, empathy, and community. To truly make a difference, we understood the importance of blending high-tech solutions with high-touch approaches. Today, our patient relief team of 6 members lies at the heart of our operation”, she added.

Starting e-clinics

OCM has a network of about 500+ e-clinics across 15 states. Initially, they set out to build independent clinics equipped with nursing staff and basic diagnostic tools, aiming to create a new healthcare network from scratch. When reality hit, they quickly realized the complexities of gaining trust and acceptance for a completely new system in the target regions. 

Thus, they partnered with local medical store owners. These individuals were already trusted healthcare advisors in their communities, making them ideal partners for introducing new healthcare technologies and services. These e-clinics serve as comprehensive hubs for primary healthcare needs, conveniently located within local communities. They have plans to spread nationwide. 

The growth chart

Smriti, the business powerhouse, spoke how they strategized to bring their plan to reality. She gave insights to the journalist from Startup Pedia, “Our growth strategy was multifaceted. Firstly, we organized community health camps to demonstrate the value of our services directly to the people we aimed to serve. Secondly, we implemented targeted social media campaigns to engage with tech-savvy users and expand our reach digitally. Thirdly, we focused on cultivating word-of-mouth referrals, leveraging the satisfaction of both medical store owners (MSOs) and patients to amplify our impact through grassroots advocacy.”

She further added, “Before COVID, from 2017 to 2019, our focus was on creating awareness through numerous free camps across UP. During the first lockdown, our model faced challenges as our hubs couldn’t operate. Patients in rural areas were scared to step out and preferred to save money. In 2021, we saw a 147% increase in consultations with approximately 200 e-clinics in Uttar Pradesh. Since then, our numbers have been consistently growing, despite seasonal drops, showing annual growth in consultations.”

The future:

OCM has facilitated over 1,07,000 consultations both online and offline, through more than 500 e-Clinics and has a patient revisit rate at a robust 55% (with revisit within 6 months), highlighting the trust and satisfaction of the consumers. 

Shubhang in conversation with Startup Pedia said, “We aim to establish more than 1 lakh e-clinics across India. But our vision goes beyond numbers. We're at the forefront of harnessing cutting-edge technology to redefine healthcare delivery. This includes leveraging AI-driven diagnostics to detect health issues early, developing remote monitoring tools to keep patients connected wherever they are, and implementing comprehensive health data analytics for personalized, preventive care strategies.”

He further added, “For us, this journey isn't solely about treating illnesses; it's about promoting wellness on a national scale. Every day we wake up with the realization that we're not merely revolutionizing healthcare delivery; we're reshaping mindsets, one online consultation at a time, and that's a formula for a real and lasting change.”