To facilitate quick access to the services of a veterinary doctor, two engineers, and a veterinary doctor have joined hands to create ‘Dr. Pashu.’
The shortage of veterinary doctors gave rise to the start-up which aims to connect pet owners with doctors anywhere in India to provide consultation through video calls.
The app received a financial grant of Rs.10 lakhs and was developed by NaaVic- Agri-business Incubation Centre National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics of the Indian Council of Agricultural Sciences. Subsequently, the app has displayed its services at the Krishi Mela of the University of Agricultural Sciences- Bengaluru
The co-founder of the app, Kumar M.B., who is also an alumnus of IIT Ahmedabad explained the app,
“The app has the facility to upload photos and details related to the health issue. Users can choose the language of their preference. Based on the requirements including the category of animal, a veterinary doctor will be connected with the caller.”
Hand in hand with Kumar M.B. are Nikhil Gupta, an alumnus of MIT, and Suresh, a veterinary doctor, to bring the project to life.
“The service is confined to cow, buffalo, goat/sheep, pig, and chicken, besides dog and cat among pets. Our focus was mainly on southern States when we launched the app in April this year. But we have been getting calls from Gujarat and Rajasthan too,” Mr. Kumar added.
The first consultation is charged Rs.29 and the subsequent calls can be accessed for Rs.99. Furthermore, the consultation is available in 8 languages.
‘Dr. Pashu’ brings together the services of around 20 doctors and 12,000 farmers and pet owners. The founders of the app are also looking into the delivery of veterinary medicines for the app in the future.
