A company called BPL Mobile has launched a new service called, “Doctors on Call”, a 9 am to 9 PM service that will allow patients to speak to remote doctor about their medical conditions. This Bangalore-based service is said to diagnose patients into three, highly specific, categories: “Acute”, “Chronic” and “Emergency”, says Techtree.com.

As Techtree explains it:

While the doctor who attends the call will probe to understand the present condition of the patient on the phone, and will offer palliative home remedy to the subscriber under the type: ‘Acute condition’, the attending doctor will suggest a future course of action in terms of Lifestyle change, preventive measures and specialist to be consulted for further management for the type: ‘Chronic condition’. In the case of an ‘Emergency’, the doctor will suggest if the calling patient needs to be rushed to the nearest hospital, based on the history and then will immediately end the call.

Anyone see a problem here? Diagnosis and treatment by phone? Then the doctor calls in a prescription? For chronic conditions that have been managed by live physicians for months or years, maybe this service could prevent unnecessary and costly doctors visits. But for anything other than that–anything in the “Doctor on Call” Acute or Emergency categories–forget it. That is no way to provide care to patients–absent observation and hands on examination.

Techtree acknowledges that at least one limitation of this service: it only is available from 9 to 9. But that is only just the beginning….

Have no worries though: there will be an internet-based service available in January. “Doctor on Chat” is on its way!

Summer Johnson, PhD