From India to the World: Indian health-tech unicorn Pristyn Care eyeing international expansion

Indian health-tech unicorn Pristyn Care, which focuses on simplifying the surgery journey for patients, is exploring international expansion. Starting with the South Asian markets, the unicorn is currently identifying the gaps and system requirements in health care similar to India, where the company can step in. Operating in over 12 minimal invasive surgical categories, such as general surgery, ENT, dental care and Gynaecology, Pristyn Care is expanding into IVF, ophthalmology, urology and hair transplant divisions. 

Dr Vaibhav Kapoor, Co-founder at Pristyn Care, told BusinessToday, “We have plans to go international and are running multiple pilots currently. While we’re looking for countries with similar healthcare infrastructure in South Asia, we’re also currently identifying the existing technology gap, need for advanced treatments, and what is required which would define the progress made over the next couple of months.” 

Pristyn Care identified the apparent gaps in the healthcare system where small hospitals were underutilised due to a lack of patient trust. “If one goes to any smaller hospital, you would find that sometimes the quality standards or the protocols are not up to the mark, the staff might not be great if you compare it to larger corporate Institute. Also, they might not have access to the latest and most advanced equipment and technology which might be there in a corporate hospital,” says Dr Kapoor.

Building on this gap, Pristyn Care has partnered with over 450 hospitals across India to carry out surgeries. For instance, it has partnered with Moolchand Hospital, mid-sized hospitals such as MedHarbour, Mayom, Apollo (Noida) in Delhi-NCR, Yatharth (noida), Manipal (Jp nagar and Sarjapur, Bangalore), Dr Mehta (Chennai), apex group and criti care (Mumbai).

But it has invested in clinics, doctors, and surgery equipment, to name a few. “We have close to 200 clinics across 40 cities in India, and all the surgeons who sit there mostly work full-time with us. The difference is that instead of seeing a doctor in a hospital; a patient sees the doctor in the clinic first. If that patient needs surgery, it will happen in a partner hospital around the clinic by the same doctor who consulted the patient.”

“Not just the rich, even the common man is looking for convenience, especially with healthcare,” says Dr Kapoor. This is where Pristyn Care steps in. Having treated over 60,000 patients and completed over a million patient consultations, the company’s USP is to offer care and assistance at every step. From booking doctors’ appointments to scheduling surgery at the hospital, sending a cab before the pickup of the surgery handling medical claims and offering free follow-up consultations, and more. 

Additionally, Pristyn Care forayed into primary healthcare services with the acquisition of Lybrate in June last year, which gave it a competitive edge in providing online consultation services. “Our focus continues to be on delivering profitable businesses powered by advanced medical treatments for secondary care to patients. We are cautiously optimistic to hit the Rs 1,000 crore revenue mark by FY24 and we have doubled our revenue as compared to last year with better margins and stronger unit economics,” added Dr Kapoor.