The Federation of All Indian Medical Associations (FAIMA) has voiced its apprehension regarding services that allow patients to call doctors to their homes via mobile applications and digital platforms. While FAIMA acknowledges that doctor visits to patients at home are not inherently wrong, it finds the transformation of these visits into a model of on-demand commercial service concerning.
The association notes that doctors traditionally provide care at home, which is particularly important for the elderly, bedridden patients, those requiring palliative care, disabled individuals, and patients needing home medical care. Such services, provided based on proper safety measures and clinical judgment, are an integral part of medical practice.
However, according to the Association, the issue is not with the home visits themselves, but with turning them into a 'on-demand' commercial service. FAIMA emphasizes that medical care cannot be treated the same way as food delivery, taxi booking, or any other home service where the client simply presses a button in an app and sends a doctor.
The Association insists that the decision for home treatment must be based on the patient's clinical necessity, their safety, and the professional judgment of the doctor, rather than corporate goals, algorithms, incentives, or commercial demand.
FAIMA also raised several questions regarding safety and accountability in digital aggregator models. According to the Association, such services must have clear guidelines regarding clinical triage, emergency backup plans, medical documentation, consent, and patient identification. Furthermore, the security of the doctor, professional protection, patient data protection, responsibility for prescriptions, referral protocols, and medico-legal liability must be clearly defined.
FAIMA has appealed to the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Ministry of Health at the center, demanding the development of national standards and guidelines for home medical services provided through digital platforms. The Association supports clinically necessary and appropriate home care but opposes models that use doctors as a 'delivery service on demand.'