Amazon India has launched a home diagnostics service in six major cities, connecting lab tests with medicines and doctor consults — all from one app.
With a quiet update to its app and a growing list of healthcare partners, Amazon is slowly building what looks like a mini health system — but entirely online. On Sunday, the company rolled out its latest piece of the puzzle: doorstep diagnostics.
The service, now live in Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai and Hyderabad, lets users book over 800 tests, track appointments, and get reports — all without stepping out. For routine blood work, sample collection can be done in under an hour, with digital results showing up in as little as six hours.
It’s convenient, sure. But it’s also something bigger: Amazon’s clearest step yet toward becoming the go-to health platform for India’s middle class.
From Browsing Books to Booking Blood Tests
Let’s rewind for a second. Just three years ago, Amazon India began selling medicines through Amazon Pharmacy. Six months ago, it rolled out Amazon Clinic — an online doctor consultation platform covering over 100 conditions.
And now this.
“We’re closing the loop,” said Jayaramakrishnan Balasubramanian, Category Leader for Amazon India. “From diagnosis to consultation to medicine delivery — all of it is on one app.”
Sounds like a health-tech dream, doesn’t it?
But it’s no fantasy. In urban India, where schedules are frantic and commutes are chaos, skipping a clinic visit for a home test isn’t a luxury — it’s relief.
A Lean Play with Orange Health Labs
For this move into diagnostics, Amazon didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it partnered with Orange Health Labs — a startup founded around the time COVID flipped the healthcare game on its head.
Orange Health brings the backend muscle: phlebotomists, logistics, labs, and reporting. Amazon brings the customers.
The rollout, for now, covers over 450 PIN codes across six cities. Collections are available seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’s not 24/7 just yet, but they’re clearly gunning for scale.
What’s on offer?
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Over 800 diagnostic tests
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Sample pickup in under 60 minutes (depending on location)
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Reports delivered digitally, often within 6 hours
That’s a sharp turnaround time, especially for routine checks like CBC, thyroid panels, or glucose tests.
A Crowded Field, But Big Advantage
This isn’t a vacuum. Companies like 1mg, Healthians, Practo, and Apollo 24/7 are already slugging it out in diagnostics. Each offers app-based bookings, lab partnerships, some even with their own collection teams.
But Amazon has something others don’t: a massive daily active user base and that rare thing — trust.
Here’s a quick comparison table to show how Amazon stacks up so far:
| Platform | Cities Covered | Avg. Collection Time | Routine Report Time | Full Stack (Consult + Pharmacy + Labs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon India | 6 | < 60 mins | ~6 hours | ✅ |
| Tata 1mg | 10+ | 2–4 hours | 12–24 hours | ✅ |
| Apollo 24/7 | 20+ | 1–3 hours | 8–12 hours | ✅ |
| Healthians | 80+ | Same day | 12–36 hours | ❌ |
| Practo | 20+ | 1–2 hours | 6–24 hours | ✅ |
The catch? Amazon is only in six cities right now. But you can bet they’re watching adoption rates like a hawk.
Urban Middle Class Is the Real Target
Amazon isn’t trying to be India’s rural savior. At least not yet.
This move is squarely aimed at upper middle-class and aspirational urban families — the ones with multiple chronic conditions in the household, kids in exam season, or elderly parents who avoid hospitals unless it’s urgent.
People who can afford convenience.
And frankly, that segment is massive. According to Bain & Company, India’s healthcare market is expected to hit $372 billion by 2027, with digital health services seeing over 30% year-on-year growth — largely fueled by this demographic.
One sentence break here. Let’s breathe.
No surprise then that Amazon is keen to get in early, even if it means lower margins for now. Healthcare, after all, is sticky. Once a family starts using a particular provider for lab work and meds, they don’t switch easily.
What’s Next? Scaling, Clearly
Right now, Amazon Diagnostics is being called a “pilot,” though officials didn’t confirm a nationwide timeline.
That said, if this thing gains traction, expansion is inevitable. And India has a serious gap to fill.
According to a 2024 report by RedSeer, over 70% of India’s diagnostic labs are standalone centers with limited digitization. Home collections account for less than 10% of total tests nationally.
That’s the gap Amazon is trying to plug.
If they scale this right, they won’t just be competing with online health platforms — they’ll be taking on your neighborhood clinic.
The Future of Healthcare Might Just Be Delivered
There’s a wild irony here. A company that made its name shipping books and gadgets is now turning into a quasi-healthcare provider.
And they’re not alone. Flipkart is reportedly eyeing telehealth too. Reliance already owns NetMeds. Tata has 1mg. It’s a crowded alley, and everyone’s elbowing their way in.
But Amazon’s offering is quiet, seamless, and steadily expanding. No loud ads. No wild discounts. Just adding another tab in the app — next to electronics and groceries — that says “Health.”
Blink and you’ll miss it. But open it, and you might just skip your next hospital visit.
