Now, startups build social networks for doctors

CHENNAI: When Dr Ashok Kumar (name changed) found a person bleeding profusely in his clinic in interior Tamil Nadu, he was flummoxed. Despite his experience and available facilities, he wasn't sure what to do. A quick post on the Dr Bond mobile app drew responses from doctors across the country, based on which Kumar was able to arrest the bleeding and control vitals.

This and much more is being made available to doctors by a slew of startups such as Curofy , Docplexus, PlexusMD and Swaas Systems which are piecing together the complicated jigsaw puzzle that the healthcare ecosystem is.

For Phanish Chandra, who hails from a family of doctors, the idea behind his startup Docplexus came from an unfortunate event. He lost his 24 year old younger brother after spending 8 months attempting to diagnosis his illness. By the time it was diagnosed, it was too late.

“There is a golden hour in any disease, a window of opportunity for the doctor to save the patient's life, if they have the right diagnosis. With Docplexus, we are attempting to build a community where doctors can learn from each other," said Chandra.

His startup provides an online platform for doctors to learn in a fun social way. Content is built in house and sourced from doctors on the platform. Adding over 6,000 doctors a month, the platform has seen over 15,000 clinical cases discussed to date.


Dr Bond, developed by Swaas Systems, aims to become a doctor's companion. The app releases news digests at regular intervals with bulletins on current affairs and articles of medical interest. Doctors are encouraged to upload articles and videos to share with fellow doctors. A discussion forum allows doctors to post queries, upload photos and seek opinions. The drug search feature enables search by name, pharma company and add drugs that are not listed. Details including composition, dosage, side effects, are provided on the app. Doctors can also request for medical representative visits. Swaas is in talks with several associations to bring them onboard. Associations can use DrBond to create events, add doctors, publish schedules, key note speakers and share notes as well. Swaas is steadily adding about 4000 doctors a month.

While some startups are attempting to empower the doctor with knowledge and a professional network, others are focussing on tying loose ends in the ecosystem. Curofy , which has over 1.20 lakh doctors from more than 800 cities using its app to discuss difficult cases and read latest news, recently extended its app to the medical students community. The app is also providing a platform for doctors to post other requests such as medical equipments etc.

From being a 'Linkedin' like n network for doctors to providing medical students notes prepared and vetted by senior doctors, PlexusMD is going a step further by opening up the platform to hospitals to post job vacancies.