When experts predicted that healthcare startups would be on the rise in 2017, they were not kidding. Even just based on a cursory glance of the scene, you’ll see that there are quite a few out and about trying to make their mark.
They cover a range of products and services, so we’ve gathered as many as we could find for a quick overview of what they have on offer.
And I’m going to say right now: compiling all of this info was difficult. Among the 9 websites that are listed here, a lot of them had the important information hidden behind the walls of text in FAQs.
Take pricing for example. Why did some of these sites hide their pricing deep into the burrows of their site? That’s going to be the first thing people are delving into.
For one site, the page that we got when Googling the pricing was completely different from the page you get when you go to their landing site and navigate around (we called them to confirm the actual pricing).
I’m not just pointing these out to put the companies down. I’m just now really sympathetic of patients or loved ones who has to go through similar struggles to find the right service for their needs.
So here’s what I found.
The appeal of having consultations over video is obvious.
One is that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of and time spent on finding parking or travelling.
On top of that, the distinct advantage of video calls is that sometimes, the particular illness that you have may seem a little too minor to warrant a visit to the doctor, but you can’t rest easy until you get a doctor’s opinion. This is where live call doctors come in.
It should be noted that your attending physician can’t issue MCs to you through video consultation, due to Malaysian laws.
1. Doctor2U
Medium: Only mobile, both iOS and Android.
Call On: Both phone and Skype call.
Price: RM20 (daytime 8am-7.59pm) and RM38 (nightime 8pm-7.59am) per 15 minute session.
Prescription: Patients can view and purchase their prescription through Lovy Pharmacy’s e-commerce site.
This service is available 24/7, and multiple people can consult with the same doctor, as long as everyone can squeeze all of their questions into 15 minutes.
Since they also have house-calls, they can send a doctor to your doorstep if the video consultation is not enough. You can find out everything that you need to on the linked page, though the info about the pricing was listed out in grey and a bit hard to spot.
If you can’t find a specific piece of info, the site does have a chat support function, so you may not need to go hunting anymore.
2. DoctorOnCall
Medium: Available on both desktop and mobile.
Price: A flat rate of RM20 (open from 8am to 12am)
Prescription: Medicine available in the site, though prescription drugs still needs to go through Doctor’s approval.
Available on both desktop and mobile, Doctor On Call is supported with over 10 certified doctors in Malaysia in their respective clinics. Prescriptions will be sent through email, and the user has the option to either buy it on their site or source their own pharmacies.
Editor’s note: This entry has been edited since publication to reflect the accurate pricing and timing.
3. TeleMe (Beta)
Medium: Available on desktop only.
Call On: Live video consultations.
Price: Prices vary, but the doctors average out to RM10 per call, though the ‘find me a doctor’ function.
Prescription: Doctors are able to send a prescription, or you can order separately on the site.
At the moment, the Teleme site is still in Beta, until 1st of April. What sets them apart from other sites is the ‘favourite doctor’ option, where users get to request one. If approved, they get to:
- Message the doctor
- Request for a prescription-on-demand
- Receive a referral from your doctor
This site is more doctor-focused, and users are able to search for the name of the doctor they’re looking for instead of being limited to just the category of profession.
So what you can do on the site now is to describe your sickness, then you’re brought to a ‘waiting room’ until a doctor is ready to take your case, and usually this doesn’t take too long as there are some doctors on standby to take calls. Even if you leave the site, you’ll still receive emails about doctors who want to take your case. Basically, the calls aren’t instantaneous, but it can be done on TeleMe now.
1. Doctor2U
Price: RM 200 (8.00am–7.59pm) and RM 380 (8.pm–7.59am)
Time: Within 60 minutes
Location/Coverage: Throughout Malaysia
The fee includes medication for 3 days. Additional medication costs might apply for blood tests and dengue tests. After every visit, the attending physician will send you a summary of the visit through the app and to your email account. The doctor will also give a call back within 24 hours.
If you can’t find a specific piece of info, the site does have a chat support function, which means that you don’t need to go a-huntin’ for info when you can just ask their support.
2. Door2Door Doctor
Price: RM 250 for Day Visits (Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm) RM280 for After Hours (Mon-Sat, 6pm-10pm) & RM350 for Sunday and Public Holidays (8am-10pm)
Time: By appointment
Location/Coverage: Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Door2Door Doctor also includes elder medicare, palliative care and wound care, among others. On top of bringing their relatively wide array of medical practitioners to your house, they also transport patients to clinics or hospitals, like non-emergency ambulances.
3. HomeGP.Asia
Price: HomeGP offers more than just doctor house calls, like nurses, caregivers and physiotherapist.
- For doctors; RM 250 for Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, & RM350 for 6pm–9pm, Public Holidays & Weekends
- More prices can be found here.
- Medications cost separate
Time: By Appointment
Location/Coverage: Not specified
This site’s advantage is that it covers more than just doctors, and provides a full list of healthcare provision, like nurses, caregivers and even medicine couriers, similar to Door2Door Doctor. The difference is that they don’t provide transport to the hospitals/clinics.
If you’re an old soul who still prefers to just make appointments and physically visit your doctor, or even if your sicknesses are the kinds that needs physical attention, you can still easily compare and contrast the available doctors in your area using these startups. Here’s the breakdown:
1. MyDoc.Asia
Price: Varies between practices.
Appointment Booking: You can enquire, but the doctor will get back to you with booking. It’s not instantaneous.
Location Searching: The site loads practices with their locations listed out on a map, but users have to manually parse through the listings to discover doctors that are close to them. You can, however, get directions to the clinic.
Searching for doctors leads you to a map view of all of the practitioners available, which in my opinion is a little annoying way to go about it, but other patients might find convenient.
With a noble aim of reducing myths and misconceptions of healthcare, this website is available in Malay, Chinese and English, and wants to make healthcare decisions easier by making it easier for patients to compare and contrast doctors.
2. Practo
Price: Varies between practices. Prices are listed clearly with each doctor.
Appointment Booking: You have to personally call the practice to make appointments.
Location Searching: You can indicate your location, and the category of healthcare practitioner you’re looking for and the site will narrow it down.
Founded in Bangalore, this platform has expanded to Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and now Malaysia. Practo verifies and lists doctors for free and does not charge consumers or doctors to find, book, or receive appointments.
The search function is easy to use, though the site only filters by area, rather than proximity to location. So users will have to manually check the locations themselves to see their distances.
3. GetDoc
Price: Varies between practices.
Appointment Booking: You can book on the platform.
Location Searching: The app is designed around location, and users can indicate where they are, and the radius there are willing to travel. Available all over Malaysia, and in many nations worldwide, so it’s a good app to have for travelers who are concerned about getting healthcare overseas.
4. BookDoc
Price: Varies between practices.
Appointment Booking: You can book on the platform.
Location Searching: This is another app that you can easily indicate clinics to users, from nearest to furthest based on practice.
Another app designed around location, BookDoc is available 24/7, and can even remind you of your appointments. The functionality of the site is quite intuitive, and it even shows you the slots on which the doctor is available for head-on, like a movie ticket site.
Though this is based on the doctor’s own preference and you do still need to call or email some doctors. The site does intuitively show the doctors who listed their slots on top though. Prices, however, are not listed outright.
For those who may have social anxiety, simple queries, or even again, those who are too lazy to brave traffic to meet their doctors, the live chat function may be quicker, more convenient and cost-effective way of getting a doctor’s opinion.
1. Doc2Us
Price: RM 9.99 from 8am–11.59pm, and RM19.99 from 12am–7.59am (except for specialists, at RM19.99 and RM39.99 respectively).
Prescriptions: On the platform itself upon prescription by attending physician.
Doc2Us was designed for ease of getting a second opinion in mind, or even for patients who may need blow-by-blow advise on how to manage at home, particularly those who have serious illnesses.
For the daytime calls between 8am and 12am, you may get a free follow-up session, (upon doctor’s discretion) while the red-light hours are subject to each individual practice.
2. Doctor2U
Price: Free
Prescription: Patients can view and purchase their prescription through Lovy Pharmacy’s e-commerce site.
Thanks to the availability of door-to-door doctors on the same platform, as well as video consultations, the app can easily send in a doctor if the situation is serious.
A Summary Of Doctor Related Health Startups And Their Services
Feature Image Credit: House on Fox