Practo launches #AskAboutCancer platform on World Cancer Day

The doctor discovery portal executed #AskAboutCancer campaign offering free online consultation on World Cancer Day observed on February 4.

Ignorance continues to be one of the main reasons that prevent cancer patients from getting help at the right time. On the occasion of World Cancer Day, which was observed on February 4, the doctor discovery portal Practo, joined hands with HDFC Life and cancer survivor Lisa Ray, to spread awareness about the deadly disease.

Practo Consult, a platform that is dedicated to resolve medical queries, offered free medical consultation for cancer patients, survivors and individuals who want the right answers to their questions on cancer. This was done by creating buzz through a Facebook campaign executed internally called Ask About Cancer.

The campaign invited people to ask their questions on Practo Consult. It also announced the launch of the Practo Consult Live session #AskAboutCancer through which one could ask questions about cancer, what causes it, get in-depth information about specific types of cancer, their risk factors, its early detection, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Dr Ajai Kumar, founder, chairman and CEO, HCG, and who has over 35 years of experience in the field of Oncology, answered questions at a live session aired on Practo's social media pages Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Speaking about the initiative, Shashank ND, founder and CEO, Practo, says that there is a tremendous amount of information available on health issues and it can be hard for consumers to figure out the difference between truth and conjecture.

"Practo Consult wanted to educate consumers that the first step towards beating cancer is awareness and early detection. In order to do this, we hosted our first live session via Practo Consult and invited people on social media, with the help of this campaign, to ask their questions," he explains.

The company claims to have received participation with tens of thousands of consumers interacting via various channels. The #AskAboutCancer Facebook album reached out to over 1.75 million consumers and was shared by nearly 1700 people.

The overall #AskAboutCancer campaign created over 5,000 conversations, reached out to over five million people, and had 46 million impressions on Twitter.

According to the World Health Organisation, 8.2 million people die of cancer every year. The first step to find a solution is to create awareness, detect the symptoms well in time, and find the right doctor or hospital.