National, 9^th October 2020 (GPN): Overweight and obesity is a worldwide problem, which has impacted the lives of millions of individuals. While this is often classified as a lifestyle problem, the fact is that it is a complex disease that poses various risks to an individual. These include heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease including gallstones, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea to name just a few. Additional factors like a family history of obesity (body mass index – BMI – of 30 or higher) and/ other ailments adds to the risk factor. 

To create awareness of the serious effects of obesity, MediBuddy has shared recent data pertaining to this issue. The data shows that since the onset of COVID, MediBuddy has recorded a 45% growth in consultations for weight management out of which 21% are obesity-related. Men constitute 69.43% and Women 30.56% of such consultations. 

What is really interesting is that a majority of these consultations (72.2%) pertain to the age group 19 to 29 years. Ms. Richa, Nutritionist, MediBuddy, has an explanation for this skew –  that even though there is an awareness and appreciation of fitness, lop sides work-life balance, not having to physically exert for most of the day has made those in this age group less active in comparison to previous generations. Metabolic rates have dropped during this COVID period which can be attributed to minimal or no workout along with trying new cuisines & experimenting with food skills during the lockdown. This has led to a vast majority gaining weight. The levels below were – 30 to 39 years (14.4%) followed by 18 and below (8.9%), 40 to 49 years (2.6%) and 50 and above (1.8%). 

Besides sedentary lifestyle and overeating, obesity can a consequence of other causes that could include eating disorders, heredity, certain underlying diseases such as hyperthyroidism or certain medication. Additionally, some females when they stop breastfeeding at an early stage, might face obesity.

“Obesity is a serious condition that should be given paramount importance. Through our data, we want to make people aware of the challenges it can pose and motivate those affected to seek timely care and attention. At MediBuddy, the endeavour is to make quality healthcare accessible across the length and breadth of the country and contribute to a healthy India.” said Mr. Satish Kannan, Co-Founder and CEO, MediBuddy-DocsApp. 

As the adage goes, prevention is better than cure, it is imperative to maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep obesity at bay. Simple changes like diet, exercise & physical activity, weight-management programs, medication (in-certain cases) can a long way in preventing and reversing overweight and obesity. 

About MediBuddy

MediBuddy is the enterprise world’s digital healthcare platform of choice. It is a partner to several leading enterprise customers in the country and helps millions of users access a wide range of sponsored healthcare services. MediBuddy members have access to inpatient, outpatient, wellness, fitness, and preventive care services offered by their network of healthcare providers. Accessible both as an online portal as well as a mobile app, MediBuddy gives members unparalleled, real-time access to all their health benefits anytime and from anywhere. With diverse offerings for all stakeholders of the healthcare industry through a ‘phygital’ approach, MediBuddy makes discovering, accessing, utilising, and monitoring healthcare seamless, real-time, and virtually paperless, encapsulating user experience right from discovery to service delivery.

Recently, MediBuddy merged with DocsApp, to create an entity that sits at the pinnacle of the overall healthcare industry.

DocsApp is a 24×7 digital healthcare platform that connects patients to specialist doctors through chat, call and video. The mobile and web-based platform offers doctor consultations on the go. Established by ex IITians, Satish Kannan and Enbasekar Dinadayalane, DocsApp leverages technology to provide quality healthcare to millions of Indians without any geographical constraints. It is headquartered in Bangalore. The genesis of DocsApp was the realisation by its founders that access to a specialist doctor is a huge challenge in the country and mobile technologies can help in making healthcare services more accessible to people. 

At this point, the combined entity caters to the healthcare needs of 3Cr Indians & attending to the needs of over 25,000 Indian, daily across the length and breadth of the country. It has 10000+ experienced doctors online who become a part of the team after a rigorous 3-step verification process. The app connects patients to doctors across 20 specialists such as Dermatology, Weight Management, Sexology, Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Psychiatry, General Medicine & more, instantly via chat, video, or voice call. Patients can also order medicines and book a lab test from the comfort of their home. One can save up to 60% through the app when consulting India’s top doctors. The app is currently available in English and Hindi but the doctors on the app provide consultation in all Indian languages. 

The venture has so far raised $30 million from Bessemer Venture Partners, Rebright Partners, TechMatrix Corporation, DeNA networks, Fusian Capital, Milliways Fund LLC, Mitsui Sumitomo (MSIVC), Beyond Next ventures and Facebook’s angel investors, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan. 

DocsApp’s pioneering work has been widely recognised by many leading entities:

• The ‘App of the Year 2017’ in the medical category by Amazon in association with Facebook. 
• The “Industry Achievement Award 2019” by Hurun Report. 
• Best healthcare startup company of the year.
• Best use of social media & Digital marketing in Healthcare.
• Best Marketing Campaign – #BaatTohKaro (DocsApp)
• Best Healthcare Entrepreneur of the year- Satish Kannan at National Healthcare Leadership Congress Awards presented by Zee Business in the year 2019.  
• The online digital platform also bagged 3 coveted awards- Best Healthcare Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Marketing Campaign, Best healthcare start-up of the year at Healthcare Leadership Awards presented by ABP News in the year 2019.
• DocsApp has been a part of the Make in India Summit and the Telemedicine Society of India. ENDS