Online Psychiatrist Consultation

Not everyone can reach a clinic. Some patients live outside Surat, some cannot take leave from work, some are too anxious to sit in a waiting room, and some simply want privacy that a local clinic cannot offer.

Online psychiatrist consultation with Dr. Kalpesh Suryavanshi provides the same clinical assessment and treatment plan as an in-person visit, conducted over a secure video call. Research consistently shows telepsychiatry to be as effective as face-to-face care for depression, anxiety, OCD, insomnia and follow-up of most conditions.

Consultations are conducted under the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, 2020 issued by the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India, which give online consultation the same legal standing as an in-person visit, including for prescriptions within permitted categories.

Who Online Consultation Suits

• Patients outside Surat – anywhere in Gujarat or India, and NRIs in the Gulf, USA, UK, Canada and Australia consulting for themselves or for parents at home.
• Working professionals who cannot take half a day off for an appointment.
• Students studying in another city who want continuity with the same doctor during term and vacation.
• Follow-up visits – medication reviews, dose adjustments and therapy sessions, after an initial in-person assessment.
• Patients with severe anxiety or agoraphobia for whom travelling to a clinic is itself the obstacle.
• Families seeking guidance about a relative who is refusing treatment.
• Anyone wanting a second opinion on an existing diagnosis or prescription.

What Can Be Treated Online

How It Works

1. Request an appointment on WhatsApp or by calling 8460248445. You will be offered a slot, usually within a few days.
2. Share your details. Name, age, city, a brief description of the problem, and photographs of any previous prescriptions or reports.
3. Confirm the appointment by paying the consultation fee in advance through UPI or bank transfer. You will receive a confirmation and the video link.
4. Attend the consultation. The first consultation typically runs 20–30 minutes, follow-ups 15–20 minutes, in Gujarati, Hindi, English or Marathi. Use a quiet, private room with a stable internet connection.
5. Receive your prescription as a signed digital document on WhatsApp or email, valid at any pharmacy, along with written advice.
6. Follow up as scheduled – online or in person at Majuragate, whichever suits you.

How to Get the Most From an Online Consultation

• Choose a room where you can speak freely without being overheard – this matters more than anything else.
• Use headphones. They improve both audio quality and privacy.
• Keep your current medicines physically with you, or photographs of the strips, including doses.
• Have recent blood reports available – thyroid, B12, vitamin D, haemoglobin, blood sugar.
• Write down your main concerns beforehand and the three questions you most want answered.
• Where appropriate, have a family member join for part of the call – particularly useful in assessing memory problems, addiction or psychosis.
• Test your camera and internet a few minutes before the appointment.

Privacy and Records

Consultations are conducted one-to-one over a secure video link. Sessions are not recorded. Your clinical notes are stored confidentially and are not shared with family, employers or anyone else without your written consent, exactly as they would be for an in-person visit.

Confidentiality under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 applies fully to teleconsultation. The only exceptions are the standard clinical ones – a serious and immediate risk to your life or someone else's – and these would be discussed with you.

Frequently Asked Questions