With focus firmly concentrated on combating non-communicable and lifestyle diseases, mental health is neglected and looked down in India. The government estimates that around 6-7 percent of Indian population suffers from mental disorders. Most of them are common conditions but unknown/unaccepted as mental illnesses, depression, anxiety or stress or even serious and potentially lifelong disorders such as Schizophrenia,ADHD, and Autism.The subject has always received little attention and is perceived as a stigma. To counter the situation for better, Siva Nagalingam (CEO & Founder) ventured Medi Guru to bridge the treatment gap and to make affordable mental healthcare available to the masses via a simple app. Debuted in 2015, company offers complete tele psychiatry solution and online counseling platform that enable patients with mental health issues to seek and consult with qualified psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors across India.

Reducing Treatment Gap

With increasing personal and professional ado, one needs a companion to discuss and be guided for better. MediGuru gives you a platform to share your issue openly and guilt-free. Using SaaS, the app functions similar to Whats App where patients post questions to doctors using text/audio/video files, set search criteria for doctors and the amount they wish to pay; multiple doctors respond to the patient, with options for in person, phone or video appointments based on their queries & budget. Powered with intelligence, the app automatically routes the question to 25+experts. Prognosis data, consultation & treatment note, and medical history are stored inside the app only, accessible solely by the stake holders’ involved in the conversation. To further enhance brand loyalty, Medi Guru provides repetitive sessions, exchange information and store user set of life style coaching on perennial basis. It encourages patients to undergo treatment from anywhere and keep their identity & issue hidden, making the entire treatment life cycle more efficient and effective with increased comfort and reduced stigma.

Most of the research reveals that three out of every 10 seniors live alone, where they are cut-off from immediate contact with the society, leading to psychological trauma called lone liness. Medi Guru experts connect with them over the app to manage their loneliness and anxiety by maintaining comfort and privacy

of their home. Offering gamut of other services like teenage angst, entrepreneurship stress, relationship issue, trauma and so on, company has joined hands with several corporate to provide mental wellness for their employees.

Uniqueness & Future Roadmap

Medi Guru stands out in the competition with its tailor made security measures and remarkable roadmap. Being HIPAA compliant and working on Azure platform has empowered the company to provide highly encrypted, secure data layer to keep user information (log data) along with transaction details completely private and confidential. “No body can even crack or open the log data; we will be able to share these details on confirmation from the user and court only,” asserts Siva.

Geared up for multiple level of funding (from the US) and Medi Guru will re-launch the app (like a speed dating) in July in India & US (under its subsidiary Parting Ways), which will facilitate users to connect with counsellors /doctors of their choice, interact with them and pay them on minute basis, all with a single click. This app will be built synonymous with grief counseling to assist people, who are suffering from any sort of grief related to relationship, divorce, romantic split, bereavement, loss of job or trauma and prove as help-line to them. “We have agreements with 10 companies and before July, when we re-launch the app in India, we will on-board 40+ companies,” concludes Siva.