Urologist Slams Practo for 'Unethical' Charges on Patient Inquiries

New Delhi: Practo, a popular healthcare platform, is facing criticism after a urologist accused the company of charging him 'unethically' for patient inquiries. The platform, which typically charges clinics and hospitals for its services, was called out on social media by the urologist, sparking concerns.
The controversy erupted after Dr ***, a kidney transplant surgeon shared his experience on social media, accusing Practo of charging him for phone calls made by patients asking his details even though no consultations took place.
Slamming Practo for deducting money from him because a patient called to inquire about his details, the doctor created a thread on 'X' along with a video describing how the platform was allegedly charging him unnecessarily without even a consultation being done.
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In a post, he wrote, "How can you charge me for someone just calling and asking about my whereabouts. In that way maybe your own people can call and ask about my details and you will deduct money as I received the call? This is gross on the part of practo and totally unethical!"
Expressing concern over the incident, he further added, "You may charge your platform fee if a consultation is booked. You may charge a patient if he is calling me to avail services. But how can you charge a doctor to just receive a call?"
The doctor further pointed out and informed the netizens that Practo charges around Rs 350-450 as a connection fee to the doctors. "So, the next time you ask why the fees are going up you have the answer!" he said.
Responding to the doctor's accusations, Practo stated in a post on 'X', "We are sorry to know that, Dr Vinay Rai. Kindly DM us your registered contact number so that we can look into the issue."
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