Practo, Uber partnership to help patients reach doctors

Practo, Asia's largest healthcare booking platform, and Uber, the world's leading ride-hailing technology platform, have announced a global partnership that will make it easier for consumers to reach doctors.

Starting Monday, Practo users across India, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore who book an appointment on Practo's app will be able to see the closest Uber available when they get a reminder alert for their appointments, said a statement.

Users can then click the reminder notification and complete the booking process.

New users who book their first appointment on the Practo app can avail two free rides, up to Rs.200 per ride, with Uber. This offer is valid till December 31.

The partnership also comes with an inaugural offer specific to India, where any existing or new user booking an appointment on Practo till November 30 gets a free ride to and from the doctor's clinic.

"We realised 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.

"There are also many patients who may not be able to drive themselves to a doctor at all. Our goal with this partnership is to completely remove this anxiety by integrating with Uber's incredible experience and bringing that to our consumers," said Practo founder and CEO N.D. Shashank.

Uber India president Amit Jain said: "The technology integration through this partnership reflects our common commitment to create seamless experience for all our users."