Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Online genetic counselling when you live outside Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
You do not have to travel to Hyderabad to talk to a genetic counsellor. The conversation can happen by video or phone from your home, and the sample is usually taken at a hospital or laboratory near you. This page explains how an online appointment runs from a district, what to have ready, and when a visit to the city is still worth making. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists review your family history with you and guide you to the right genetic counselling and testing.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can I have genetic counselling online without coming to Hyderabad?
- What should I have ready before the video call?
- How does an online appointment work from a district?
- Online counselling terms, in plain language
- Online from home, or travelling to Hyderabad?
- When online counselling is not enough
- What district families often assume about online counselling
- Common questions about online genetic counselling
The short answer
Can I have genetic counselling online without coming to Hyderabad?
Yes, for most of it. The conversation with a genetic counsellor can happen by video or phone from your home in a district. The sample for the test still has to be given in person, but usually at a hospital or laboratory near you rather than in the city.
Why this matters for families outside the city
Genetic counsellors are few, and most of them work in Hyderabad. A family from Adilabad, Khammam or Srikakulam used to travel twice, once to talk and once to hear the result. That means lost wages, a bus journey with an unwell parent, and often a night in the city. Online counselling removes most of that.
What stays the same
The questions are the same ones you would be asked in a clinic room. The counsellor still draws your family tree, still asks who was diagnosed and at what age, and still explains what a test can and cannot tell you. The decision to test is still yours, and it is still made before any sample is taken. You can take the time you need between the first call and that decision. Nobody expects you to agree on the spot.
Online counselling changes where you sit. It does not change the standard of the advice.Getting ready
What should I have ready before the video call?
A little preparation saves the counsellor from spending half the call collecting names and dates.
The family list
Write down every relative who had cancer, on both sides. Note the type of cancer and roughly how old they were when it was found. Include the men, and include relatives who have died.
Ask the elders first
- Grandparents and their brothers and sisters
- Cousins who were treated in another state
- Any cancer found in a child or a young adult
The reports, photographed
Take clear phone photos of biopsy reports, discharge summaries and any earlier genetic report. Send them ahead if the clinic asks, so the counsellor has read them before you speak.
A quiet room and a charged phone
You will be discussing illness and death in the family. A room where you will not be overheard matters more than a good camera. If the mobile signal is weak at home, a relative's house in town may be better.
The people who should hear it
An adult son or daughter in Hyderabad or abroad can join the same call from where they are. Tell the clinic in advance who will be on the line, so the counsellor knows who is listening.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom first call to result
How does an online appointment work from a district?
Booking and a short form
You call the helpline, describe the family history in a few lines and are given a time. You may be sent a short family history form to fill in before the call.
The counselling call
The counsellor takes the family history, draws the tree and explains which test, if any, would be useful. You can ask for the call in Telugu. You do not have to decide on testing during the call.
The sample, taken locally
If testing is agreed, you are told where the nearest collection point is. Blood or saliva is taken there and sent to the laboratory. This is usually the only trip, and it is short.
The wait
Genetic tests take longer than routine blood tests. You will be told roughly how long to expect, and who will call you when the result is ready.
The result call
The result is explained on a second call, ideally by the same counsellor. You should end that call knowing what it means for you, who else in the family should be told, and what happens next.
Words you may hear
Online counselling terms, in plain language
- Telegenetic counselling
- Genetic counselling held by video or phone instead of in a clinic room. The advice is the same; only the setting changes.
- Pre-test counselling
- The first conversation, before any sample is taken. It decides whether a test is useful at all, and it suits a video call well.
- Collection point
- A hospital or laboratory near you that takes the sample and sends it on. It does not interpret the result.
- Pedigree
- The family tree the counsellor draws, showing who had which cancer and at what age. On a video call it is often shared on screen.
- Post-test counselling
- The call where the result is explained. This is where questions about relatives and next steps are answered.
- Consent
- Your agreement to be tested, given after the counselling and before the sample. It can be recorded in writing even when the talk was online.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
Online from home, or travelling to Hyderabad?
Online from your district
In person in Hyderabad
No bus or train journey for the talking part
A full day of travel, sometimes a night's stay
Family abroad or in the city can join the same call
Only those who travel can be in the room
Sample given at a nearby collection point
Sample usually taken at the same visit
No physical examination is possible
An examination can be done if it is needed
Depends on a working phone signal
Depends on being well enough to travel
Being straight with you
When online counselling is not enough
Some inherited conditions are suspected partly from physical signs, such as skin marks or the shape of a child's head. A counsellor cannot judge those over a screen. If your family history points that way, you will be asked to come in at least once.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your family needs testing at all. It cannot tell you which test suits you, or what a report you already hold means. Those questions belong to a qualified genetic counsellor or clinical geneticist who has taken your full family history. What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
Who this does not suit
Most people with one older relative who had cancer do not need genetic counselling. If that is your family, a call to your own doctor may be enough. Online counselling also suits poorly a parent who is hard of hearing, or a family with no reliable phone signal. In those cases one well-planned visit to the city can be kinder than a broken call.
Unsure whether your family history counts? Describe it to the helpline. Someone will tell you honestly whether a referral is worth making.Commonly believed
What district families often assume about online counselling
"An online call is a lesser service than a visit."
The counsellor asks the same questions and gives the same explanation. For the first conversation, many families find they speak more freely from their own home than in a busy hospital corridor.
"The test can be done over video too."
It cannot. A sample of blood or saliva is always needed, and it has to be taken properly and labelled correctly. What changes is that it can usually be taken near you.
"Only the patient can be on the call."
Relatives are often the reason for the call. A brother, a daughter or a spouse can join, from the same room or from another city. Just tell the clinic beforehand.
"If it is online, the result will come on WhatsApp."
A genetic result should be explained, not simply forwarded. Expect a proper call with a counsellor, where you can ask questions, rather than a report arriving on your phone without explanation.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about online genetic counselling
Is online genetic counselling allowed in India?
Yes. India's telemedicine practice guidelines allow consultations by video, audio and text, with rules on consent and record keeping. Genetic counselling fits within that. The counsellor should still confirm who you are and record your agreement before any test is arranged.
Can the counselling be done in Telugu?
Ask for it when you book. Counselling in your own language matters, because the decisions are personal and the words are unfamiliar. If a relative will translate for an older parent, tell the clinic, so the counsellor can speak slowly and check understanding.
Do I need a smartphone for the call?
A video call helps, because the counsellor can show you the family tree. A voice call can still work for most of the conversation. If nobody at home has a smartphone, a relative's phone or a nearby clinic may be able to help.
Where will the sample be taken?
At a hospital or laboratory near you that the testing laboratory accepts. You will be told where to go, what to carry and whether any form must travel with the sample. Do not give a sample anywhere until the counselling is done and you have agreed.
Can my son abroad join the call?
Yes. Adult children who will help with decisions, or who may later be tested themselves, often join from wherever they live. Agree the time in advance so everyone who needs to hear the explanation is on the same call.
Will I still need to come to Hyderabad at some point?
Sometimes. A physical examination, a complicated family history or a result that changes treatment may need a visit. Many families manage the whole process with one short local trip for the sample and everything else from home.
What if the call drops halfway through?
It happens, especially in rural areas. The counsellor will usually call back on the same number or move to a voice call. If the connection keeps failing, ask to rebook rather than rushing through an important explanation.
How do I book an online appointment?
Call the CION helpline and say you live outside Hyderabad and would prefer to start online. Have the family list ready. Someone will check whether a genetic referral makes sense for you and arrange the first call.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where counselling and testing take place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India — Telemedicine Practice Guidelines
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- MedlinePlus Genetics — How can I find a genetic counselor?
- Cancer Research UK — Genetic testing for cancer risk genes
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Sample collection without travelling to HyderabadWhere and how the sample is taken near youGenetic counselling in Telugu in HyderabadAsking for the conversation in your own languageBringing the whole family to one appointmentGetting every relative who matters on the same callGenetic counselling in Hyderabad: where to startThe first step if you are new to all of this
Talk to us
Would an online first appointment suit your family?
Tell us where you live and who in the family was diagnosed. We will check whether a genetic referral makes sense and whether the first conversation can happen online. One helpline serves every CION centre.