Page 21 - Masala Lite Issue 163 July 2024

We almost call ourselves

your family doctor in
your pocket.

However, at the time in the healthcare sector, while
you could have a telehealth consultation, if you needed
a blood test or similar, the only option was to go to a
physical location.

With the concept of a healthcare concierge being
quite new to the Thai market, did you face any
challenges in the early days? How did you navigate
through them?
We started during the COVID-19 pandemic period, during
which running a business, let alone a startup, was a
challenge in and of itself. But it gave us a huge amount
of volume in a short period of time, through which
we were able to hone our service through our skills.
We went from doing just a few cases to upwards of a
hundred cases a day. The real challenge for us was that
rapid growth at the start, and learning how to sustain
that growth coming out of the peak of the pandemic.
That’s why we now emphasise the abilities of our doctors
who specialise in areas beyond coughs and colds, like
cancer specialists and neuropsychologists. In our clinic
itself, you’ll be met with specialists in addition to our
talented general practitioners.

Given that a population of the Thai-Indian community
is more keen on alternative healthcare, how can your
services cater to this group of patients?
Our business has done extensive research on the Thai-
Indian community and Indian companies that provide
a similar hands-on experience to ours. We studied their
home healthcare services, and mimicked it to a degree,
to see what works there and in other countries. Through
these studies, we know that the Thai-Indian community
value their own time, as well as healthcare at home.
Moreover, when it comes to alternative approaches, we
have options through our trusted partner facilities that
are able to provide different approaches to patient care
and can cater to different personal needs.

How does HealthDeliver approach groups of patients
that feel more comfortable seeing their trusted family
health practitioners?
This is one of the reasons we exist; we’re almost
“your family doctor in your pocket.” We have national
capabilities for pharmaceuticals and blood tests, so
when, for example, families go on holiday, we’ve got
doctors online who are ready to assist. We are trying
to create that family doctor feel, where you can talk to
your doctor from wherever you may be. This is a core
of our company, because people don’t just stay in one
spot. It’s something we often discuss and why we have
expert doctors in many areas.

Coming back to you, starting a new business must
take up a lot of your time and energy. What do you
find yourself doing to relax and restore?

On the weekends, I’m part of Thailand’s international
biker group, which is comprised of many members in
the Thai-Indian community as well [laughs]. I take my
wife and we go biking up the hills, and take time to
gather with our friends, wherever the space may be.
This is something I really enjoy. I also think that I only
understood the importance of a work-life balance in
recent years, giving it more importance.

Do you have any advice for young members of the
community who have high ambitions to start up their
own companies?
Be relentless and patient. When you’re looking to start
your own business, it takes a lot of hard work and time.
The long way is generally the short way.

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ALL-ACCESS INTO BANGKOK’S CONTEMP OR ARY INDIAN LIFEST YLE