For the very first time in India, Foreign OPD enables face-to-face second medical opinion consultations by bringing Dr Simon Taylor, Consultant Hepatologist from Imperial College London, to India. In a scenario where the Indian healthcare industry is evolving rapidly and more and more, patients are demanding world-class expertise and experience, this is a milestone achieved where a top-level medical expert is coming down to India to cater to the growing demand of patients at an affordable price.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Inder Maurya, Founder and CEO, Foreign OPD, said, “We are happy to bring Dr Simon Taylor, an eminent faculty from the Imperial College, London, to India. Our country is poised to avail these types of service-level innovations in healthcare. Foreign OPD sees that the best of the best and world-class second medical opinion can be made available to patients suffering from chronic diseases and are unable to fly to international shores to seek such consultation if they discern. It is a paradigm shift in terms of how Healthcare is consumed in India and we are proud to assume a pioneering role.”
Currently, catering to 25,000 patients through pan-India reach, Foreign OPD has more than 100 international consultants on board from the best of the global fraternity, along with a stellar list of 150+ Indian doctors as well. The current therapeutic areas covered are – hepatology, oncology, CVTS, organ transplant and neurology. Going forward, it plans to expand to over 25 sub-specialties. Talking to the press, Dr Simon Taylor, Consultant Hepatologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, the UK, said, “I am extremely happy to come to India and associate with Foreign OPD. The medical and healthcare sector is extremely professional in India and there are several innovative leaps that the country has taken in this direction which makes them on a par with global best practices. World over, the second medical opinion is a pressing need, given the increasing complexity of modern medicine, and these are concrete steps being taken in that direction.” He further added, “In theUK/EU for hepatalogy, the fraternity that I belong to, there are regional liver units and a network of hospitals sending patients for second opinions and they operate in a hub and spoke model. A formal second medical opinion is actually mandatory before treatment. I am happy to have engaged with Foreign OPD, who has also provided me with a platform to engage with my fellow colleagues for a fair exchange of knowledge as well.”
The global medical second opinion market was valued at $2.7 billion in 2018. It is expected to reach $7.10 billion by the end of 2024, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28 per cent. China and India are among the fastest-growing regions in medical second opinion market.
Discerning Indian patients are now keen to try out expert global consultations too and also seek expert counselling from experts in India. The company has a dedicated team that looks into the doctors’ experience, research and publications and areas of specialisation. The brand is in an expansion spree. Currently, operational in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow and Bengaluru, it is looking at expanding to 30 cities while covering 70,000 patients.