Arbinder Singal and Debraj Shome do not look like your usual doctors. Ditching white coats for smart blazers, they look more like the entrepreneurs that they are instead of men medicine. Singal, 35, is a specialist in treating kidney ailments for children. Shome, 33, has taken his degree in facial plastic surgery, which he followed with an MBA in healthcare. Together, they have founded Angels Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. and launched the world's first e-Hospital called www.mediangles.com.

This website claims to get its registered clients consultation from the best doctors across the world. say ,Signal: 'Stay at home, the world's best will visit you."Around 300 doctors are currently empanelled with mediangels. While 50 percent are Indian, the other 50 percent hail from 21 countries across the world. A basic consultation with an Indian doctor costs Rs.250, however, the patient would be set back by Rs.750 and onwards if he consults a super specialist. The rates are different for foreign doctors. A basic consultation with an international expert would cost Rs.450 and Rs.4,500 for a complex consultation. Shome claims the rates are 30-50 percent cheaper than visiting a doctor in person.

The initial response to the venture has been encouraging. Within six months of launch, 6,000 people have already registered with mediangels.com of which 50 percent are from metros and tier I cities. What is surprising is that the other 50 percent is from semi-urban and rural areas.

The young entrepreneurs see no mystery in the numbers. Shome explains, "Almost 75 present people in India still cannot access quality healthcare services. The government has done its bit by building healthcare infrastructure but where are the doctors? We realized that with the help of technology we could bridge this gap." Adds Singal: "Not everyone can reach the best doctors from the remote villages of India. A man from Satara couldn’t have dreamed of getting a consultation from a doctor in Mumbai unless he travelled all the way, but now he can consult a doctor not only in Mumbai but, if he so wishes, a doctor even in the U.S without going anywhere." The doctors taken on board are screened by a neutral Health Assurance Committee. They are recruited by invitation only.

Apart from consultations, the e-Hospital also provides e-investigation facilities thanks to the 21,000 labs accredited with them. If a patient requires any tests, he can get his samples collected from his doorstep. The website also allows patients to store their reports in their account. These reports can be accessed without the customer having to carry bulky files, X-rays and scans to the doctor. Also, a patient can get himself admitted to one of the 55 hospitals that the website has partnered with. The hospitals keep some beds reserved for mediangels patients.

The revenue model is simple. The fee charged by mediangels is split 50:50. The backend however is not all that simple. Maintaining e-records requires a system that will ensure privacy of the patients. Therefore, the technology conforms to U.S. HIPAA standards that ensure security of records. The company is in talk with a leading IT company for upkeep of its backend.

It is these system and processes that have drawn the attention of PE players like HDFC which came on board within one month of mediangels's operations. HDFC private Equity infused Rs.3 crore into the company for a 12 percent stake. Today the company is being quoted at Rs.180 crore Rs.1,200 crore. It plans to expand operations in Africa, Middle-East, the U.S.A. and the U.K. And it looks like it won't end there as Shome says, "We want to make mediangels the google of healthcare."