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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=practo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Practo</a> has unveiled its new brand identity and positioning in a bid to serve larger purpose and attract a host of businesses. 
 <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>, which partnered with New York-based graphic design firm-Chermayeff &amp; Geismar &amp; Haviv (CGH) to create a global identity, will now focus on its new positioning-‘Your Home for Health’. 
 
Practo is now focused on opening the platform to more healthcare stakeholders including insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical devices companies, etc. 
 
Under ‘Your home for health’, Practo will position itself as a single destination for consumers to take care of all their health needs such as assessing health issues, finding the right doctor, managing records securely, and finding new ways to live a longer healthier life. 
 <keyword id="1165145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword>, Founder &amp; CEO, Practo said “Our positioning, “Your Home for Health”- reflects what we stand for; the trusted and familiar place where consumers can find solutions for their healthcare challenges. We are excited to see the amazing experiences they will build to dramatically improve healthcare around the world.”

Practo gets a refreshed look with logo and identity. Here’s what it is focussing on now

Healthcare app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/And-Practos-founder-Shashank-ND-wants-FM-Jaitley-to-do-a-lot-more-for-startups-in-Budget-2016/articleshow/51157721.cms">Practo</a> is spreading its wings. After entering the Southeast Asian markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia, the company has now forayed into <keyword id="6355226" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Brazil">Brazil</keyword>, the largest market in Latin America and the fifth largest economy in the world. 
	 
	“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve millions of consumers in Brazil and simplify healthcare experience for doctors and consumers simultaneously. Over the next few months we will expand our coverage and product lines to enable consumers to make better healthcare decisions and live healthier lives”, said <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Practo-Foundersays-Modi-govt-should-do-away-with-regulatory-hurdles-in-the-healthcare-sector/articleshow/50604175.cms">Shashank ND</a>, Founder and CEO, <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>. 
	 
	Initially, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Practo-is-happy-with-FM-Jaitleys-rural-Budget-2016/articleshow/51393493.cms">company</a> will launch two of its most popular products—Practo Search and Practo Ray in Sao Paulo. The products will be available in both Portugese and English in a bid to ensure easy access to the products by both the consumers and doctors. 
	 
	Practo also plans to expand its consumer offering to other healthcare segments such as wellness, fitness, preventive and curative segments. Currently, the healthcare app is being used in 15 countries and over 50 cities across the globe. At present, the app lists over 200,000 doctors, 10,000 hospitals, 8000 diagnostic centers and over 4000 wellness centers globally and receives over 10M searches a month across its website and apps.

Healthcare app Practo enters Brazil

Founded in 2008, profitable by 2017, that’s what <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Healthcare">healthcare</keyword> startup <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword> is aiming for this fiscal. Company co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Shashank-ND">Shashank ND </a>says he expects his company to be net positive by the latter half of next year. 
 
In an exclusive interview with Business Insider Shashank said, “Our revenues are growing multiple times each year. We should be net positive by the second half of next year.” 
 
The revenue bit is definitely true. In FY2015, Practo’s revenue spiked from Rs.2.30 Crores to Rs.29.73 Crores, but its losses also shot up from Rs.9.88 Crores to Rs.12.85 Crores according to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies. 
 
Currently, the company makes money through three major revenue streams – software and hardware sales to doctors and clinics in the form of tablets (each costing around $800/year), classifieds where doctors and hospitals can buy sponsored listings and its online pharmacy. Shashank claims 50% of his revenue is through native advertising and the rest is from tablet sales. 
 
When asked if skeptic Indians might find it difficult to trust a website with their health, especially one that might seem to blur the lines between what’s called ‘the separation of Church and State’, Shashank says he ensures its clear what’s organic and what’s sponsored. Going forward, Shashank says their biggest focus for the current fiscal will be <keyword id="294572" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="machine-learning">machine learning</keyword> and <keyword id="107950" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</keyword> (AI). He believes Practo can help doctors ‘make better decisions’. 
 
“What if we can give them (doctors) data points that they can use over their medical experience to make a decision. IT can tell them optimize for the best outcome”, Shashank says. 
 
When asked how he’ll get his hands on that data, the company co-founder says, “Consumers entering it is one way. Providers can also part away. The idea’s not fully cracked yet, which is why it’s an area we’re looking into.” 
 
Practo has raised nearly $124 million in funding across 3 rounds. It’s valued at $500 million, and is India’ s best funded healthcare startup.

Exclusive: Practo co-founder Shashank ND says his startup will be profitable next year

The year 2015 was an exciting year for startups. There has been phenomenal growth, and incredible excitement (and investments) into ideas. Ideas that could potentially solve some of the most serious problems India has – from transportation to healthcare, financial inclusion to advanced robotics and more. 
	 
	The last 6 months in particular have seen big focus on startups from the government as well with Prime Minister Modi’s Startup India Stand up India being the watershed moment. So clearly, aggressively pushing startups and making it easier for them to start and painless for them to scale is critical for a strong, thriving economy that wants to grow at 10%. I think at an industry level the following things need to be done to enable growth - 
	 
	Startup Industry 
	 
	Infrastructure: 
	 
	As a country we need to make much faster progress in connecting everyone and bringing them online. While programs like NOFN and Bharatnet have been around for a while, the actual deployment has been incredibly slow. We need to take concrete steps to pick up the pace here and at least meet the targets set within the programs themselves. 
	 
	Fund of Funds: 
	 
	While we’ve been hearing about a fund of funds for startups for a while, we would love to see the next steps that detail out disbursement and get startups access to this fund. 
	 
	Taxation: 
	 Greater clarity and sharper differentiation between goods and services would be very helpful to clear up the TDS requirements on app downloads and TDS for software sales. Implementation of the <keyword id="6354679" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST">GST</keyword> would go a long way in solving this for sure. A longer tax break time period for startups would be welcome as well as further simplification of tax and other regulatory requirements. 
	 
	Easier Exits 
	 
	Exits are a healthy sign for any startup ecosystem. Our 4 acquisitions in the last year have shown us that it can be quite onerous currently. Enabling faster, easier exits would be very welcome as well. Government has been pushing some bills on this in the parliament but we would love to see this materialize as would help the overall ecosystem – from founders to investors. 
	 
	And for the healthcare industry, this is what he has to say: 
	 
	Digitization 
	 
	With the focus on digital India, we hope the government provides provisions that drive digitization adoption by healthcare providers. Many of the countries that we operate in, the government provides incentives for adoption and meaningful usage. Digitization can bring considerable efficiency in the system which will help alleviate a lot of challenges consumers face today due to the limited access/supply of healthcare providers in the country. Having digital records itself can considerably improve the quality of diagnosis and care consumers receive. 
	 
	Medical Devices 
	 
	This is an extremely important aspect of healthcare, especially as they can be a great way to solve our access problems. Millions of people in rural areas of India have to travel hundreds of kilometers for something as simple as even a blood test. There is no reason why tablets with special attachments for example can’t replace need for a doctor in places like these and automate many such tests and connect the patient to the doctor if test parameters are out of prescribed limits. There can be multiple models – the government can purchase and provide to PHCs or even take steps where device makers can procure these devices at a more affordable price. I think for the cost that vast majority of Indian market can sustain, importing won’t be viable so the Make in India program could really help in this aspect and special focus on this area in the budget would be welcome. 
	 
	Public Healthcare: 
	 
	 We also hope that the government incentives the public healthcare system to work more closely with the innovation driven by startups in India to solve many of the problems they face – without necessitating increase in public health expenditure 
	 
	Prevention: 
	 
	Large amounts of healthcare cost in the system can be reduced by focusing on prevention. A big piece of this is sanitation. We hope the government can focus on this and find a way to implement this even faster as improper sanitation is costing our country over $50B a year. Nearly 600,000 deaths a year are caused due to diarrhea – a big part of this is due to improper sanitation. So the faster we can solve this, the faster we can help people live healthier. 
	 
	Insurance: 
	 
	Recently, the government has announced several insurance schemes targeted at rural India. We believe similar schemes targeted at senior citizens and women countrywide would go a long way in solving a lot of healthcare issues in the country as well. 
	 
	With these steps, startups can continue to thrive and solve some of the most fundamental problems that plague our country, add considerable growth to our economy and help further establish India’s innovation credentials. 
	 
	This article has been authored by <keyword id="1165145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword>, CEO and founder of healthcare app <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>.

And Practo’s founder Shashank ND wants FM Jaitley to do a lot more for startups in Budget 2016!

Yesterday, Loop- <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>’s annual conference took place in Delhi where healthcare stakeholders got together to discuss and try to solve the biggest challenges in healthcare. 
 
The key discussions at Loop revolved around ‘creating a successful tele-health network’, ‘bridging the gap between payers and providers’, and medical regulations. 
 <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> caught up with <keyword id="1165145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword>, CEO &amp; Co-founder, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-funding-round-is-important-for-Practo-to-become-a-600-million-value-startup/articleshow/53076623.cms">Practo</a> to find out how the sector is evolving; especially after the start-ups have come in. 
 Shashank highlighted some of the conversations,’ We got together India’s Top hospitals, <keyword id="35450" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="insurance">Insurance</keyword> providers, and healthcare companies on the same platform to discuss how technology can solve the healthcare problems in the country namely, affordable &amp; quality care.’ 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Delivery-technology-from-drones-to-bots-what-will-deliver-your-e-commerce-packages-in-the-future/articleshow/54044952.cms">ALSO READ: From drones to bots- What will deliver your future?</a> 
 He also elaborated on the discussions, ’Dr. Velumani, CEO, Thyrocare shared some insights on innovations pertaining to standardization of cost structures. Mr. Ramachandran , Deputy CEO, <keyword id="6369255" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apollo-Munich">Apollo Munich</keyword> talked about standardisation of medical supplies.’ 
Shashank lamented that many regulatory frameworks need to be thought out internally for the internet companies in this space. ‘We need to self-regularize so that we can help the government understand how we work. Loop was an attempt in that direction’ 
 
Shashank agrees that healthcare is a hot sector for start-ups, ’Medical devices start-ups in India are creating good quality, low-cost devices for the masses. We are excited to integrate with a lot of Patent-pending technology start-ups.’ 
 ’<keyword id="108593" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="telemedicine">Telemedicine</keyword> is also coming up in a big way; many patients don’t mind a new way of interaction with their doctors, they are already using social networks like <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> and <keyword id="790242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">Whatsapp</keyword> to get consultation.’ 
 
Our biggest challenge is to allay the fears related to technology platforms. Adoption of tech is a problem, still, a lot of hospitals are not open to changing their processes to accommodate technology. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Practo-co-founder-Shashank-ND-says-his-startup-will-be-profitable-next-year/articleshow/51991002.cms">Practo has been at it for 8 years</a>; trying to use technology to solve the biggest problems in terms of mobility and reach in the healthcare sector, but there’s a long way to go to reach a billion lives.

Exclusive:Practo's Shashank ND says technology startups can solve the country’s biggest healthcare challenges

It hasn’t been a cake-walk for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/EXCLUSIVE-Practo-Co-Founder-says-taking-global-Internet-giants-head-on-was-crazy-but-solving-the-problem-at-hand-was-more-important/articleshow/49907852.cms">Practo’s</a> founders to establish the company since inception in 2008, as the leader in the Indian online healthcare services industry and one of the largest in the world. And through the journey, the several ups and downs, there have been valuable lessons that have been learnt. So, when Business Insider spoke to <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>’s Co-Founder, <keyword id="1165145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword> to ask about what were the lessons learnt during the way, advice to new entrepreneurs and the general atmosphere in India lending a better hand to starting a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Practo-seeks-Rs-400-cr-from-global-investors-to-expand-its-leadership-in-India/articleshow/47599663.cmshttp://www.businessinsider.in/Practo-seeks-Rs-400-cr-from-global-investors-to-expand-its-leadership-in-India/articleshow/47599663.cms">business</a>, this is what he had to say:
 

	What would be your advice to people who have just begun their journey as entrepreneurs? What would be your 4 golden rules for them?
 

	First and foremost, focus on deliverables. For any digital <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Startups-are-now-reading-minds-of-candidates-before-hiring-them/articleshow/49244518.cms">start-up</a> there really has to be only 2 focus areas: code and sell. When I enter my office there are just two things on the board: how many lines you have written and how many sales you have made.
 

	Secondly, it is usually things that nobody has done before that will actually work. Be comfortable in doing things the first time.
 

	Thirdly, it’s very important to hire the right people. There would be crude people around, you have to get them and polish them.
 

	And lastly, it is important to lead from the front. As a startup founder, you should be facing your challenges on the field upfront. 
 

	The government is pretty gung-ho about the startup ecosystem. Is the ground reality that rosy?
 

	Building a startup is like working on steroids. It is a lot of about how you grow and grow fast. The fundamentals are there that can support a vibrant start-up ecosystem for the next 10-20 years. In India one small idea can become large enough. India is self sustaining in that matter. That is a huge advantage.
 

	India is the hub of start-ups. What changed that led to the growth of the ecosystem?
 

	One of the major changes is the number of internet users that India has seen. Advent of mobile phones and internet has been the reason of the growth of start-ups.
 

	But which means if <keyword id="6391709" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Net-neutrality">net neutrality</keyword> were to be taken away, start-ups would greatly suffer?
 Internet has been largely unregulated as it grew so fast. However, we cannot allow net neutrality to go away. Any change in the neutrality of the internet will have a huge impact on <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword>. 

	For a start-up how difficult is it to begin with so many Government regulations in place?
 

	While you are just starting you are more worried about what you need to do. But as you grow, regulations affect you. The current government is much more proactive. They have a very healthy attitude towards startups. They look at startups as driving forces in the economy. Startups are no longer neglected. In fact the government is also changing policies for start-ups so they can grow faster. There has also been change in procurement rules that allow startups to compete in a healthy environment. That’s a huge change.
 

	That said, different state governments have different nuances. Generally it is a matter of time and where all states would favour it. Some states have already started like Andhra Pradesh and Telengana. They have made it a lot easier with new rules like single window clearances. Some still need to realise the potential that startups have.
 

	How easy is it to raise funding for a startup?
 

	The most difficult part is the reputation and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Booked-an-appointment-with-a-doctor-on-Practo-Uber-will-make-sure-you-dont-miss-it/articleshow/49800904.cms">growth of the company</a>. Growth brings funding but growth should not depend on funding. Ridiculous amount of execution is required for growth of a company.
 

	How long do you want to run Practo?
 

	It is important to build a company for its perpetual existence. It is a need that the world wants a consumer healthcare company and we would love to be that company. I want to run Practo for atleast a hundred years.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: yourstory)

EXCLUSIVE: Practo Co-founder’s unique advice to start ups!

Amongst all sectors in India, healthcare is one sector that has managed to both attract and deter startups from foraying into this segment. Some realise the enormous opportunities that the sector presents for growth, while there are many who are discouraged by the abysmal condition of the industry. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Healthcare+startup">Healthcare startup</a> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Practo">Practo</a> belongs to the former category. And there is a reason to why, its founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shashank+ND">Shashank ND</a>, founder and CEO decided to venture into this particular segment. 
 
“Healthcare offers enormous opportunities. Healthcare is one sector that consumers across age groups, cities identify with. In fact, healthcare sector is likely to touch nearly $300 billion by 2020. So this is a sector, which has many problems, offers everyone ample opportunities to innovate,” <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shashank+ND">Shashank</a> tells BI India in an exclusive interview. 
 
In fact, he bets big on the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Startup+India">Startup India</a>, Standup India campaign and expects it to put startups in the limelight. “In a few decades, startups can improve the life of the country but also boost the economy of the country. The government and the prime minister leading from the front just show how important startups are for the country,” he says excitedly. 
 
So what does he expect from the initative? Well, he says that the focus remains on the policies. “We talked about how the policy makers can facilitate the growth of the industry and how we can be more effective with their support. I expect that the attitude of this government will become more attentive towards startups. They will start prioritizing startups in their priorities.” 
 
He adds, “I also expect that there will be a lot more clarity in the regulations because startups always work with the cutting-edge technology, innovation. This will clear the roadway for startups to grow in the economy.” 
 
Regulatory hurdles? Explaining his point, he notes that India has a very good domestic market which will continue to propel the growth of startups. But there are a lot of hurdles that startups will come up with, which the government needs to do away with. “An exodus of companies is happening in India because of regulatory hurdles. I believe that the government should take steps to retain companies in the country so that they can contribute to the economy,” he states. 
 
So what are these? Well, to begin with, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shashank+ND">Shashank</a> says startups are digitalizing the healthcare economy. “We are taking the doctors, patients and other stakeholders online. For instance, there are a lot of regulations that are not clear for online pharmacies, which I think makes it difficult for these players to be around for long.” 
 
He quickly adds, “My biggest grievance is there is no clarity in regulations when it comes to digitalization about healthcare sector such as diagnostics, pharmacies, which if digitalized could be very helpful. 
 
He also talks about the acute shortage of professional doctors, a challenge that has marred the growth of healthcare sector in rural India. “We are connecting doctors through internet and mobile, we can connect them with the patient anywhere in the country. But where it isn’t possible, there comes a huge gap. If the person in a rural setup can be given basic training and need not have a medical license but can have the requisite facilities where they can take care of the basic needs of the patient, it will reduce the stress on the healthcare setup in rural India. I think, we need de-skilling in healthcare sector,” he clarifies. 
 
Besides, protection of Intellectual Property Right especially in the healthcare sector is also a burning issue for him. “If IP is protected in India, the Indian companies will be valued a lot more and more companies will be willing to innovate and bring their products to the market,” asserts Shashank. 
 
So what is his advise to the young startupreneurs? “Well, innovate. Don’t copy what is happening in other markets. Be original and also be patient. Results don’t come overnight!” 
 
Wise words Shashank!

Exclusive: Practo Founder
says Modi govt should do away with regulatory hurdles in the healthcare sector

<ul><li>The lockdown gave an unprecedented push to the healthtech sector where more and more people got comfortable with the idea of not just ordering medicines online, but also consulting doctors on virtual platforms.</li><li>We talk to <keyword id="1165145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashank-ND">Shashank ND</keyword>, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, <keyword id="1165142" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword> who shares what kind of growth the startup witnessed in the past few months and what the future of the industry will look like.</li></ul>The Covid-induced lockdown that led to the entire country getting stuck at home has now led to huge behaviour changes. While many of these changes might go back to being the way they were pre-Covid, many might just stick. One such behavioural change we believe is here to stay is the increased adoption of <keyword id="108593" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="telemedicine">telemedicine</keyword> and online consultations. Considering people could not visit their doctors or hospitals, the Indian healthcare sector had to innovate, and fast. This gave a massive push to the healthtech sector. The same people who weren’t comfortable buying anything online have now become accustomed to using online platforms for buying everything from essentials and non-essentials to even talking to their doctors. While the telemedicine sector has been around in India for a few years now, this was perhaps the push it needed. And the results are already showing as Shashank ND, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Practo tells us. How the lockdown impacted Practo While Practo was founded in 2008 and has been continuously growing in the last couple of years, the last few months saw a lot of new users coming onto the platform. About how things have been for Practo, which calls itself a ‘one-stop shop for all your medical needs’, Shashank tells us, “COVID-19, though unparalleled in its reach and the extent to which it has upended the lives of billions across the globe, also provided the push necessary for India to embrace telemedicine. As people remained homebound amid the lockdown, it became imperative to solve the critical problem of <keyword id="606335" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-access">healthcare access</keyword> without putting the patients’, doctors’ and healthcare workers’ lives at further risk. <keyword id="387573" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-consultation">Online consultation</keyword>, thus, became the first port of call to offer the much-needed impetus amid this crisis.” Currently, Practo has close to 25,000 verified doctors who provide online consultations on its platform. “This is indicative of growth to the tune of over 1000% in just four months. These doctors enable us to provide consultations anywhere, anytime - even at odd hours, weekends and holidays. The objective is to further increase this number to keep up with the growing demand on the platform,” shared Shashank. Patients have responded with equal gusto, Shashank further shared. More and more people are now preferring online consultations. Practo’s online consultation has seen a 10x growth in the last six months. What is also encouraging is the fact that many of these users are first-time users and also from smaller cities. “What was considered a luxury just a few months ago, has become a necessity today. In fact, 80% of all our telemedicine customers were first-time users, while approximately 50% consultations were from non-metros. But what really stands out is the high CSAT score of 90% (i.e., more than 90% of users rate Practo 4 and 5). This places a massive responsibility on us to continue providing support to improve existing services and create better ones; our top priority remains delivering on our mission to make <keyword id="474799" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Quality-healthcare">quality healthcare</keyword> accessible and affordable for all,” he added. Practo also runs a service called Prime that gives users benefits like low wait times and 24*7 service, among other services. About how the offering has helped not just consumers but hospitals and clinics too, Shashank said, “As restrictions began to ease, hospitals and clinics felt a need for a service like Prime, whereby patients can book an appointment in advance, more than ever to avoid overcrowding in waiting rooms and enforce social distancing better. Patients too prefer making appointments in advance to reduce wait times. So, it's no wonder that appointment booking has started to pick up again and is almost back to where it was in early February. Hospitals and clinics are rethinking how they operate in the light of COVID-10 and prepare for a future to keep patients out of waiting rooms. Practo Prime has emerged as a suitable option to bring more predictability and discipline in how we see doctors. While on one hand patients get access to predictable wait times and convenience of booking appointment with doctors 24*7 online, healthcare providers can manage their calendars and schedule appointments more seamlessly, so as to keep waiting rooms clear and uncrowded.” Is the consumer's behaviour change here to stay? During the last few challenging months, online consultations provided uninterrupted access to quality healthcare for a lot of people who jumped onto the digital bandwagon. What was heartening to see was also the fact that it was not only people from metros who were adapting to this new world order and adopting online healthcare. On whether there’s been a surge in the number of people coming onto their platform from smaller cities, Shashank said, “Absolutely. Currently the split is around 50:50 between metro and non-metro cities. These numbers were highly skewed a few years ago, when we had just begun. In the pre-covid era, close to 70% of the online consults on Practo were only from metros. But, the pandemic has narrowed down the divide quite quickly, and in the three months since March 2020, the ratio is nearly 50-50. This is mainly because the challenge of accessing verified doctors in smaller cities has further increased due to social distancing and lockdown. Patients from cities like Hoshiarpur, Karnal, Bhimavaram, Katni, and Durgapur have been actively consulting online on our platform and a large part of them are first time users.” So is this change in behaviour here to stay? Shashank added, “The pandemic has set the wheels of change in motion. But this is a long-term process, and change will not occur overnight. There is an evident behavioural change in the way individuals have started accessing healthcare in our country. This shift, which is a necessity now, will prove useful in its widespread adoption in the country. With the smartphone users in Indian poised to grow to 500 million by 2025, this transition will be smooth and swift.” Areas of focus for Practo For the last 12 years, Practo says that it has been working towards solving three critical needs of the Industry, Quality, Access, and Affordability. Till now, its core focus has been on building an environment of trust, transparency and reliability in healthcare. Going ahead, Shashank puts together a list of the organization’s areas of focus: 1. Patients’ overall wellbeing - building a patient-centric healthcare system of tomorrow a. We’ve helped people manage illness so far, we want to now help them stay away from it too through telemedicine 2. Continuum of care a. The future of the healthcare Industry is patient-centric, integrated and preventive and for that it requires a good blend of offline and online, and we’re determined to work towards that to offer continuum of care to users. Practo health plans are a good example in that direction. As we look at our strategy going forward, driving exceptional consumer value and serving existing as well as the next set of 200 million consumers would continue to be our top priority. To that affect our roadmap would be: 3. Highest quality of health outcomes With the objective of attaining the highest quality in medical care, a. We will double down our efforts on ensuring no one except Registered Medical Professionals (RMPs or qualified medical practitioners ) have access to our platform, thus actively fighting all forms of quackery and enabling access to only genuine, verified doctors. b. Onboard more senior doctors to help train, and monitor quality of consultations facilitated on our platform. c. Launch new initiatives to solve for challenges on lack of clarity around various specialisations and qualifications. 4. Equitable access to quality healthcare, from Bengaluru to Barsi For greater participation, especially from smaller towns and tier 2 and 3 cities, a. We will build a multilingual interface that will expand access to quality healthcare, b. This will also enable interactions in native languages, bringing quality care to remote locations. 5. Continuous care over episodic intervention In order to ensure care is connected, on-demand and synchronous, we will: a. Double our focus on digitization on the provider-side to make care-giving seamless, b. Simultaneously, we will make healthcare patient-centric and preventive. 6. Build a sustainable, resilient healthcare system and business To attain our goal of sustained profitability and make a lasting difference, we will: a. Harness technologies like AI to increase operational efficiencies and improve user experience, b. Optimize our processes and integrate systemic improvements to create a scalable and sustainable business model that will deliver long-term value for all, c. Capture next 200 million customers by continued focus on expansion and growth. He also added that Practo will continue to focus on is mission to empower, support, and enable healthcare access to all without exception. “We will concurrently be optimizing our processes and integrating systemic improvements to create a scalable and sustainable business model that will deliver long-term value for all,” he explained.

There are over 25,000 verified doctors providing online consultations which is a growth of over 1000% in just four months: Shashank ND, CEO & Co-Founder, Practo

The 2016-17 Union Budget was a budget for the poor, as the government aims to bring development to the grass roots level. Rural sector, big schemes and agriculture, all saw some historic announcements.
 

	But health was perhaps the most significant change from past years.
 “The Finance Minister’s focus on health as one of the key pillars proves to show that everyone should have the right to live a healthy lifestyle. The fact that quality drugs will be made available by setting up 3,000 stores in rural India along with health insurance of upto Rs. 1 lakh per family; top up of Rs. 35,000 for individuals above 60 years indicates that incentives should be made available to every Indian, irrespective of old age or income limitation,” said Shashank ND, the founder &amp; CEO of <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Healthcare">healthcare</keyword> startup, <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>. 

	He further added that the government's ambitious scheme Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, and LPG connection for women in rural homes will help in pushing the agenda of preventive healthcare even further. The National Dialysis services programme is also a heartening initiative taken up by the government.
 

	Shashank added that clarity on tax holiday and easing out of the registration process will nurture the growth of Practo.
 

	“The ease of registration process and the hope to complete the task in 1 day is a welcome measure along with the 3 year Tax holiday for startups. At least this will allow a speedy way to setting up a venture and help startups to focus on the building disruptive products and services without worrying about profits or losses. It is also good to see aspiring entrepreneurs to get access to quality education and training through various newly built colleges, schools, government ITI’s and vocation training centers through massive open online courses. Reduction of long term capital gains from 3 years to 2 years is a positive move by the government,” he said.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

Here’s what healthcare startup Practo found encouraging about the new Budget

Now when you make an appointment on <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>, you will also be able to book an <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> to reach the doctor. 
 
Yes, in a bid to provide enhanced healthcare services to customers without any delay and hassles, Uber and Practo have joined hands to deliver seamless services. 
 
Whenever Practo will remind you of your appointment with a doctor, it will also show you the closest Uber available. 
 
Apart from India, this service is launched in Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. 
 
“We realized that transportation issues often bring additional stress to a doctor’s visit – having to drive through traffic, then hunt for parking – all while you or your loved one is sitting in the car feeling ill is a terrible experience. Our goal with this partnership is to completely remove this anxiety by integrating with Uber’s experience and bringing that to our consumers,” said Shashank ND, Founder &amp; CEO, Practo. 
 
In addition, the driver’s app will be prefilled with the final destination’s address at the very beginning of the trip. The next phase of integration will involve notifying the user to request for an Uber, an hour prior to the appointment. 
 
“The technology integration through this partnership reflects our common commitment to create seamless experience for all our users," said Amit Jain, President of Uber India. 
 
First time users 
 
New users who book their first appointment on the Practo app can use the promotion code - UBERPRACTOIN -to avail two free rides, up to Rs 200 per ride, with Uber.

Booked an appointment with a doctor on Practo? Uber will make sure you don’t miss it

I am hopeful that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Union+Budget">Union Budget</a> will keep up the good work set in motion by the ‘<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Startup+India+Stand+up+India">Start Up India, Stand Up India</a>’ initiative. 2015 was an exciting year for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a>. There has been phenomenal growth, and incredible excitement (and investments) into ideas. Ideas that could potentially solve some of the most serious problems India has – from transportation to healthcare. From financial inclusion to advanced robotics and more. The last 6 months in particular have seen big focus on <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> from the government as well with Prime Minister Modi’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Startup+India+Stand+up+India">Startup India Stand up India</a> being the watershed moment. So clearly, aggressively pushing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a> and making it easier for them to start and painless for them to scale is critical for a strong, thriving economy that wants to grow at 10%. I think at an industry level the following things need to be done to enable growth. 
 
Firstly, we need to see more clarity on the next steps that detail out disbursement and get startups access to the fund of funds for start-ups. This would definitely encourage the promising <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=entrepreneur">entrepreneur</a> community in India. The need of the hour is to improve the<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=+Infrastructure"> Infrastructure</a> in the country and make much faster progress in connecting everyone and bringing them online. We need to take concrete steps to pick up the pace here and at least meet the targets set within the programs themselves. 
 
Another area that could help start-ups grow is greater clarity and sharper differentiation between goods and services, this would be very helpful to clear up the TDS requirements on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=app+downloads">app downloads</a> and TDS for software sales. The road map to GST in the upcoming budget will go a long way in both increasing the ease of doing business and reducing the cost of doing business. We expect the government to simplify tax regime for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a> to foster innovation and create conducive ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the country. While tax holiday certainly brings a sigh of relief, it may not be beneficial for many technology startups who do not make profits in initial years of their commencement. A longer tax break time period for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a> would be welcome as well as further simplification of tax and other regulatory requirements. Lastly, exits are a healthy sign for any startup ecosystem. Our 4 acquisitions in the last year have shown us that it can be quite onerous currently. Enabling faster, easier exits would be very welcome as well. 
 
From a healthcare perspective, up until now, the expenditure on healthcare has been limited and while India has the fastest growing population and an ambitious growth aspiration, it has always had a disproportionately small health budget. With the focus on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Digital+India">digital India</a>, I hope the government provides provisions that drive digitization adoption by healthcare providers. Digitization can bring considerable efficiency in the system which will help alleviate a lot of challenges consumers face today due to the limited access/supply of healthcare providers in the country. Having digital records itself can considerably improve the quality of diagnosis and care consumers receive. The Government could incentivize, assist and enable more hospitals, clinics and other enterprises to leverage <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=information+technology">information technology</a> (IT) to create patient-centric healthcare systems that can improve response times, reduce human error, save costs, and impact the overall quality of life. Another thing we should do is innovate and promote “<keyword id="6354869" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="make-in-India">Make in India</keyword>” initiatives in the medical devices sector as well as other sectors. There can be multiple models – the government can purchase and provide to PHCs or even take steps where device makers can procure these devices at a more affordable price. I think for the cost that vast majority of Indian market can sustain, importing won’t be viable so the Make in India program could really help in this aspect and special focus on this area in the budget would be welcome. I am also optimistic that the government incentivises the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=public+healthcare">public healthcare</a> system to work more closely with the innovation driven by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a> in India to solve many of the problems they face – without necessitating increase in public health expenditure. 
 
 With these steps, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups">startups</a> can continue to thrive and solve some of the most fundamental problems that plague our country, add considerable growth to our economy and help further establish India’s innovation credentials. In short, I expect and hope that this budget would place a new milestone towards acknowledging and supporting the role of entrepreneurs in shaping <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Digital+India">Digital India</a>.” 
 
(The author of the article is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shashank+ND">Shashank ND</a>, Founder and CEO, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Practo">Practo</a>)

Here's what Practo's CEO wants from Budget 2016

It is perhaps a moment for quiet reflection. A moment to think about what truly plagues our nation and what we need to do as citizens of the country to solve these issues and what role the government must play in this. 
 If you think about it, beyond the glitz and glamour of the thriving <keyword id="138263" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> ecosystem that 200-300M Indians are a part of, there are another billion Indians completely untouched by it and unable to participate and leverage this growth. In effect, India has been growing despite these billion people and not with them. This is a huge opportunity - we’re growing at 8% with 300M connected Indians, imagine what could our growth rate be if a billion people were connected? 
 
So I think the primary focus for our government should be to invest in infrastructure – both physical and digital. Connectivity will drive inclusion – social, financial and perhaps even political and this is exactly where the budget delivers by the truckload. It is heartening to see acceleration of road projects and an increased allocation towards connecting rural India. 24/7 electricity for every village would be a huge boon as well. 
 Once connected, over a billion people will have access to the same products and services we currently take for granted and many many more products will be designed that solve their unique challenges. So even though the budget may not have directly addressed startups directly, these infrastructure investments will open up a massive domestic market that is just aching for products and services – whether it is education or <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Healthcare">healthcare</keyword> or even just entertainment. 
 
The second aspect of the budget that I am very pleased with is the focus on an inclusive healthcare system. 1 lakh rupees of insurance cover for all families and an additional 30,000 for senior citizens is a fantastic move as it will ensure that for most people a health related catastrophe doesn’t jeopardize their entire financial health – not only will they be able to get access to good quality medical services, they will also be able to weather the financial burden of getting the right treatment. 
 
India witnesses nearly 600,000 deaths every year due to diarrhea and a large part of that is due to the lack of proper sanitation and hygiene. Many of these will be prevented with the 9,000 crore allocation towards Swacch bharat and the focus on improving sanitation for everyone will go a long way in preventing these deaths. 
 India also sees nearly 1 million deaths a year due to household <keyword id="55910" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Pollution">air pollution</keyword> (<a href="http://sites.ndtv.com/breathe-clean/smoke-from-chulahs-biggest-killer-in-rural-india">The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Commission</a>) – majority of which are due to the smoke emanating from cooking on ‘chulhas’. Nearly 39% of neo-natal stillbirths in India are attributed to cooking fumes as per the National Center of Biotechnology Information. The 2,000 crore allocation in this budget focusing on ensuring rural India gets cooking gas within the next 2 years will be a major step forward in helping the women and children live healthier, longer and more productive lives. 
 
I believe this is the first budget in a long time that focuses on the foundational elements of our country. It focuses on fixing a lot of the basics that have been holding us back from unlocking our potential. With the right execution the finance minister might just have given our country one of most impactful budgets we’ve seen. 
 
This article has been authored by Shashank ND, CEO and founder of healthcare app Practo.

Practo is happy with FM Jaitley's 'rural' Budget 2016

With the petrol-powered small car/hatchbacks buyers affected and others opting for sport utility vehicles (SUV), <keyword id="44883" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="maruti-suzuki" source="Orion">Maruti Suzuki</keyword> India Ltd will increase its CNG-powered models as well as SUVs, Maruti-Suzuki Chairman R.C. <keyword id="18837" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bhargava" source="Orion">Bhargava</keyword> said on Friday. He also said the small car segment which was at about 70 per cent for the company will go down to about 65 per cent which is also a substantial size. Speaking to reporters, he noted that there has been a degrowth in the small car hatchback segment while the SUV segment logged major growth. "Next year, there will be degrowth in the hatchback segment. The purchasing power of the hatchback segment has been affected and hence, is not growing. The production capacity will come down from 70 per cent to what the market needs," Bhargava said. Nevertheless, hatchbacks are still a large part of Maruti Suzuki's business. According to him, the decline in the small car market began three years ago and inflation will make it worse affecting this market segment. He said the change in the composition of sales - decline in small cars and increase in SUVs - is due to the various price increases. Maruti Suzuki's market share, which was at 51 per cent in 2019, has gone down to 41 per cent this September. Bhargava did not agree that the company was late in entering the electric vehicle segment -it plans to launch its model in 2025 - even as Tata Motors has launched a mass-market model. "We are localising the components, looking at the infrastructure development in the country. An electric vehicle customer should not face issues," he said. Queried about the inventory build-up of the small cars, <keyword id="169965" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shashank-srivastava" source="Orion">Shashank Srivastava</keyword>, Senior Executive Director, Marketing &amp; Sales said there has been a bit of build-up as there is a mismatch of supply and demand. He did not agree that the increase in compressed natural gas (<keyword id="6356175" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="cng" source="Orion">CNG</keyword>) prices will result in higher demand for diesel-powered models. <keyword id="5915" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="srivastava" source="Orion">Srivastava</keyword> said the diesel segment remains at 18 per cent and CNG continues to be a good economical option against petrol and diesel vehicles. He said Maruti Suzuki will launch more CNG-powered models based on the waiting period for the existing ones. On the SUV front, Bhargava said Maruti Suzuki will increase its offerings and newer models will be showcased at the upcoming AutoExpo. Queried about the impact of rupee depreciation against the dollar, he said that the Indian currency depreciation is much less as compared to other currencies. The rupee has strengthened against the yen, which has resulted in imports becoming cheaper for Maruti Suzuki. Bhargava said the company is targeting two million units this year though the major challenge is the supply of semiconductors. As regards the used car segment Srivastava said the used car pool has gone down. Meanwhile, the company logged an operational revenue of Rs 29,930.8 crore and a net profit of Rs 2,061.5 crore for the quarter that ended on September 30, 2022. For the previous year's corresponding period, Maruti Suzuki's total operational revenue stood at Rs 20,538.9 crore and a net profit of Rs 475.3 crore. During the quarter under review, the company had sold 517,395 vehicles -- domestic 454,200 units, exports 63,195 units. A shortage of electronic components impacted production by about 35,000 vehicles in this quarter. The same period of the previous year was marked by an acute shortage of electronic components and consequently, the company could sell a total of 379,541 units comprising 320,133 units in domestic and 59,408 units in export markets. Pending customer orders stood at about 412,000 vehicles at the end of this quarter out of which about 130,000 vehicle pre-bookings are for recently launched models, the company said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rupee-touches-82-72-against-dollar-before-closing-at-82-63/articleshow/95146545.cms">Rupee touches 82.72 against dollar before closing at 82.63</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/markets-log-gains-for-2nd-day-on-buying-in-reliance/articleshow/95147052.cms">Markets log gains for 2nd day on buying in Reliance</a>

You Searched For "Shashank ND" and got 13 results

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