Site and Sound on Health

HEALTH CARE with particular focus on Indian surfers is the latest on the Internet. Well researched and authentic content on websites is what surfers look for, and new websites on health are seeking to meet that demand.

www.webhealthcentre.com launched recently by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) claims to be India's ``most comprehensive health portal''. The site breaks new ground in cyberspace by offering registered users free online consultation.

And the ``free'' comes with no strings attached, not even for registering as a user. ``The only thing one has to pay for is the book, in case they want to buy a book online,'' says Dr. C. Sumanth Raman, whose idea started it all.

Apart from the online book store that will make available books on medicine, the site also has a `Drug Index' providing information on generic drugs to doctors.

The site also offers tips on beauty, home hygiene, alternative medicine such as siddha, ayurveda, on yoga, common medical conditions such as acidity, amoebiasis and jaundice and even online diet advice from a nutrition expert.

And when all this comes from a network of well known medical institutions, the whole package seems to be all the more impressive - Madras Medical Mission, Sankara Netralaya, Saveetha Dental College, Cancer Institute, Sooriya Hospitals, CHILDS Trust Hospital, to name a few.

All one needs to do is to log on to the site and create a personal health record for oneself and in the process, register as a user. Every user would be given a password for security and can send his/her health query by choosing the Institution one requires medical advice from. The system then forwards the mail to the specialist consultant concerned and the specialist after accessing the user's health record sends the medical advice by mail. The user can later access his mailbox at the site to find what he/should do.

``This site cannot totally replace direct consultation. It is only to supplement direct medical treatment,'' the doctors behind the site say, in a word of caution.

If all this still sounds too good to be true, the doctors say that this can be only the beginning.

Post Script: It will be a good idea to read the detailed disclaimer when you register.

(Sudhish Kamath)

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