KonsultaMD brings medical advice over the phone

MANILA, Philippines – Feeling sick but you’re not sure it’s worth the trip to the doctor? Or you can’t afford to see one? This new service could help you.

Philippine telecommunications company Globe Telecom and Mexico’s largest telephone medical assistance firm Salud Interactiva have created a joint venture, KonsultaMD, which offers a health hotline service manned by licensed Filipino doctors.

The hotline (+632) 79-880 is available 24/7 and provides basic medical assessment and advice, as well as prescriptions for over-the-counter drugs.

According to Globe’s chief strategy officer Gil Genio, KonsultaMD solves some pain points in the healthcare industry such as long waiting times and high consultation costs.

“This hotline provides easy access to medical advice. It also costs significantly less than a personal visit,” he says.

For KonsultaMD to work, Globe tapped Salud Interactiva, which has successfully implemented a similar service in Mexico.

Salud Interactiva operates Mexico’s largest telephone medical assistance center, with 40 doctors working three shifts every day.

KonsultaMD currently has 10 doctors at its call center in the Philippines, but this number is expected to grow with more demand. Most of the doctors specialize in family medicine, and all of them work in clinics and hospitals outside their shifts.

The startup’s chief medical officer, Dr. Gia Sison, gave assurance that all their doctors are skilled and licensed.

“We follow the Cleveland Clinic protocols for consistent quality medical advice so all our doctors will give almost the same advice as long as the caller provides them with the same symptoms, manifestation, and other information,” she says.

However, she admits that nothing can replace a face-to-face consultation with a doctor. That’s why KonsultaMD makes sure to advise callers to see their doctors as needed. “There are limitations. For example, we do not prescribe antibiotics or narcotics, and we don’t give a definite diagnosis, only a presumptive one.”

She says the startup also has rules to guard against conflict of interest. KonsultaMD doctors are required to disclose their names during each call, but never the clinics and hospitals where they work.

“We’re not here to monopolize the market or endorse a particular hospital, clinic or pharmaceutical company. We’re just here to fill in the gap and give people access to healthcare.”

To avail of the service, Globe postpaid users need to pay a subscription fee of PHP 150 (US$3.30) per month, which covers 4 household members. Subscription is free for two months upon enrollment and the monthly charge will apply on the third month onwards.

Globe prepaid users may subscribe to the service for PHP 15 (US$0.33) a week. Calls using Globe are charged PHP 1 (US$0.02) per minute, while calls via landline are free. Non-Globe users need to pay the regular mobile and landline rates. NDD rates apply to all calls outside Metro Manila.

All Globe customers may sign up on KonsultaMD’s site or by calling the hotline and visiting a Globe store. Non-Globe users must go to a Globe store. – Rappler.com

Editor’s note: This article was first published on Tech in Asia.

Doctor on the phone image from Shutterstock