The Hindu Business Line : Rise in chronic allergy cases in Bangalore

"The kind of allergies I have seen in patients in Bangalore, are not seen anywhere else in the world," says Dr Mukesh Batra, Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Batra's Positive Health Clinic.

"And we are conscious of the fact that the number of chronic cases in Bangalore is escalating and needs serious attention."

DBPHC has three clinics in Bangalore and 20 across the country. "Research has shown that over the years, people are looking for alternative medicine, and to cope with this demand, we are going to set up 25 clinics in India and abroad soon," according to Dr Batra.

In addition to allergies, Bangaloreans also face metro ailments such as stress and anxiety. "This is because the city has seen two quick cycles of growth and recession. Wealth has been acquired and lost in a short period of time. As a result, Bangalore has become the suicide capital of India," says Dr Batra.

A recent perception study by DBPHC revealed that Mumbaiites and Bangaloreans voted homeopathy as their first choice of treatment. But, this trend is being seen only in the last few years. For, traditionally Bangalore was never a strong homeopathy market.

"This change could be because of the rise in the number of allergies or chronic diseases," says Dr Batra.

The homeopathy market in the country is worth about Rs 630 crore and is growing at the rate of 25 per cent every year. It is estimated that in India, more than 100 million people have used homeopathy.

The country has more than 5,00,000 homeopath doctors. But, only about 60,000 of them are qualified doctors, says Dr Batra. His clinics employ about 100 doctors picked from some of the best `homeopathy medicine schools in the county,' he says.

DBPHC opened its first clinic in 1996 and is the first ISO-certified homeopathic health institute in the country. The company's cyber clinic has treated more than 4.5 lakh patients online and has three call centres across the country.