Practo takes to Twitter to answer users' healthcare queries

The feature is an extension of the firm's offering where verified doctors and experts will answer healthcare queries for free

Health-tech startup Practo has taken to micro-blogging platform Twitter to answer healthcare related queries that users might have by tweeting to the @AskPracto handle. The feature is an extension of the firm's Practo Consult offering where verified doctors and experts will answer healthcare queries for free.

Practo is rolling out the feature for users in India, Philippines and Singapore and will be available in English for now. Practo Consult is already available on the web, mobile web, and on Android and iOS apps and receives queries from users across 100 cities.

"This is a first of its kind solution in the world and we're building this right here in India. The ease of access and simplicity will be disruptive in how people access healthcare information", said Shashank N D, founder & chief executive officer of Practo, in a statement.

Through this solution, Practo is aiming to make it easier for users to get access to qualified medical professionals for preliminary diagnosis. The company has integrated its service with Twitter in order to receive and answer user queries in real time.

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"This addresses a fundamental need for users and opens up the benefit of real-time healthcare information access to millions of users in India, Singapore, and the Philippines," said Ravichandran Bhaskaran, head of business development, India and South Asia at Twitter.