Alternate therapy can heal better, says Healclinic

Healclinic allows clients to shortlist practitioners based on multiple parameters such as experience, type of therapy, and gender. A Healclinic counsellor also recommends a practitioner and handholds the client till the end of the treatment.

When you’re suffering from a disease, multiple visits to the doctor only add to your woes. Having medical professionals who can handhold you with the alternate therapy remotely using the medium of video might be a relief.

Deepti and Vishal Arora founded Healclinic in December 2015. The husband and wife duo came up with the idea when one of their close relatives who was suffering from an autoimmune disorder and was not responding to conventional medicines developed severe side effects.

However, when an alternative treatment approach was suggested by a friend, finalising one credible practitioner involved a prolonged search and several meetings.

Healclinic was bootstrapped with their own personal savings. “In the past six months, we have worked with over 50 clients and have over 200 practitioners empanelled with us. We are growing by 25–30 percent month on month,” says Deepti, who, having worked at Citi, HDFC Life and Xchanging, comes with over a decade of corporate experience. She has done her MBA from the University of Mumbai.

Vishal brings over 18 years of experience in sales, marketing, and management consulting.

Empanelling practitioners, creating a structure and ensuring professionalism on the supply side, and educating and converting clients to use alternate therapy remotely using the medium of video cumulatively posed challenges for them at the beginning.

Getting the first client

Luckily, they got an enquiry to provide online yoga treatment when they took part in an event abroad. After understanding the client requirement, they identified the right practitioner, convinced her to do an online consultation, conducted sample sessions with her, helped her install Wi-Fi at her place, and started the sessions.

A contented Deepti said, “The results were so spectacular that the client has been referring all her friends in her community in her country to us.”

She added that a large majority of practitioners who are empanelled with Healclinic have started receiving enquiries from prospective clients from different parts of the world. A couple of practitioners who provide healing online through the video platform have been able to grow their income by over 100 percent.

Healclinic allows clients to shortlist practitioners based on multiple parameters such as experience, type of therapy, and gender. A Healclinic counsellor also recommends a practitioner and handholds the client till the end of the treatment.

The task does not end here. The counsellor even keeps in touch with the client after the conclusion of treatment so as to monitor the progress. Based on the health challenges and client requirements, Healclinic also designs customised treatment plans. The plans, which cost between Rs 1,000 and a lakh are charged based on the severity of the health issues.

“Since we offer customised treatment plans, the package price depends on the severity of the health condition, number of sessions needed, and combination of therapies being utilised,” says Deepti.

Cash inflow

Healclinic generates revenue from online healthcare packages and commission on the online sale of natural and holistic products. Currently, the startup conducts 25 consultations every month.

As a part of the online healthcare packages, the practitioners offer more than 30 non-conventional therapies.

The online platform offers holistic products across various categories like apparel, Ayurveda products, nutritional supplements, aroma oils, rudraksha, and skin and hair care. The startup adds more products and brands every week.

“Overall margins for online consulting and e-commerce put together have been in the range of 15–20 percent,” says Deepti.

Based out of Bengaluru, Healclinic currently has a team of 10 employees and has offices in Mumbai and New Delhi. Their clients are now spread across India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America. Going forward, the startup is planning to have integrated clinics and use wearables to provide preventive healthcare and early detection of illnesses. Deepti anticipates Healclinic’s revenue to be in the range of Rs 1.5–2 crore for the next fiscal year.

Though considered a traditional healthcare system, Ayurvedic medicines and treatment go hand-in-hand with modern allopathic treatments. Major players like Dabur, Baidyanath, Zandu, Himalaya Drug Company, Charak Pharmaceuticals, Vicco Laboratories, and Emami Group have been thriving, in the Indian Ayurveda industry.

One of the frontrunners in the industry is Patanjali Ayurved. Started in 2006, Patanjali, with its wide range of products, has already hit Rs 5,000 crore and aims to touch Rs 7,000 crore by FY 2016-17.

According to an Exim Bank Report, the Indian herbal industry is estimated to be around Rs 4,205 crore with the export of Ayurvedic medicines and herbal products being worth Rs 440 crore. The industry has the potential to scale up to Rs 7,000 crore by 2020.

Website: Healclinic