Online Chikitsa Mitra launches mobile app for specialised, in-home healthcare

Team L&M

Health-tech start-up Online Chikitsa Mitra (OCM) has launched its mobile app, a groundbreaking step towards expanding healthcare access across India by enabling direct, in-home consultations. This first-of-its-kind app offers consultations with specialized doctors in both Hindi & English.

Founded in 2016, OCM started off in rural India by setting up e-clinics through local medical stores. Having connected thousands of rural residents to quality healthcare, facilitating over 120,000 consultations across 15+ states through its 550+ e-clinic network, OCM will now offer digital consultation pan-India through its newly launched app. This will give direct accessibility to the end users, thereby removing geographical barriers and enabling timely consultations with qualified specialists, general practitioners and wellness advisors, from anywhere in the country.

The bilingual app is designed to make specialized healthcare
more accessible to the two-thirds of the Indian population

In a nation of 1.44 billion people, only 12% regularly speak English. However, it has the world’s second-largest internet population at over 1.2 billion mobile users. Recognizing this disparity, the OCM app provides an intuitive, bilingual interface that bridges the gap, empowering patients to engage with healthcare professionals more readily than ever before.

According to the Health Dynamics of India 2022-23 report from the Union Health Ministry, nearly 80% of rural community health centers (CHCs) face a shortage of specialized doctors. OCM’s app addresses this critical gap by providing an array of specialists in fields like cardiology, orthopaedics, gynaecology, paediatrics, and more, expanding healthcare options for underserved regions.

“Our ultimate goal is to make healthcare a right, not a privilege, for all by scaling technology-driven solutions that meet evolving healthcare needs. With our mobile app, we are embracing the digital transformation sweeping across India to bring healthcare to the fingertips of people in even the remotest of locations,” said Smriti Tandon, Co-founder of OCM.

Adding to this, Shubhang Tandon, Co-founder of OCM shared, “The shortage of specialists in semi-urban and rural healthcare facilities is a reality that affects millions. Through our app, we’re utilizing technology to connect these patients with top-tier specialists, empowering communities with a lifeline that’s convenient, effective, and life-changing.”

Patients can easily schedule appointments, engage in secure video consultations, and receive digital prescriptions through the app. It is available for download on both Android and iOS platforms.

Looking ahead, OCM aims to onboard more doctors across various specialties and achieve 1,000 consultations per day by the end of 2025-26.