 "Health workers arrange medical equipment at a hospital in Hyderabad")
Tier-II cities have outpaced Tier-I cities in India, witnessing an 83 per cent year-on-year surge in medical consultations, according to a Healthscape Report released by Pristyn Care. This surge is higher than the 73 per cent increase observed in metros, reflecting a growing trend in seeking healthcare services beyond urban centres.
Pristyn Care's primary care platform analysed over 1 million Outpatient Departments (OPDs) in the year 2022-23, revealing growth in cities like Siliguri, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Kanpur, all experiencing over a 100 per cent surge in both online and offline OPD numbers. Other cities, including Mangalore, Nagpur, Jaipur, and Visakhapatnam, demonstrated OPD growth exceeding 80 per cent.
Metro cities also experienced a surge in medical consultations, with Mumbai leading at 92.07 per cent, followed by Hyderabad at 91.63 per cent and Chennai at 83.4 per cent. Kolkata, Bangalore, and Delhi also recorded growth, each exceeding a 60 per cent increase.
The report also highlighted a rise in consultations across specialties such as General Surgery by 111.72 per cent, followed by Dental at 102.61 per cent, and Orthopaedics at 102.16 per cent, among others.
Text consultations showed a 6 per cent growth, attributed to increased mobile and internet penetration. The report further delved into the most searched keywords, revealing among men, searches related to penile enlargement, benefits of Shilajit (an organic-mineral product), and erectile dysfunction were prominent. For women, the highest searched keywords included queries on regular periods, medication to induce periods, and symptoms of pregnancy.
Speaking on this, Harsimarbir Singh, Co-founder of Pristyn Care stated, "There has been a noticeable increase in medical consultations over the past year, reflecting a growing interest in preventive healthcare. Our commitment lies in contributing to the promotion of preventive healthcare across the nation."
Pristyn Care, founded in August 2018, is a healthcare provider with 400+ in-house super-specialty surgeons across hospitals and clinics, offering secondary care surgeries for over 50 plus diseases across 42 cities in India.
