The answer depends on whether you are building your own system or using clinic software.
If you are building your own system
You need WhatsApp Business API access, either directly from Meta or through an official provider. Expect to:
- Complete business verification with Meta.
- Register a phone number to the API.
- Get each message template approved before you can send it.
- Pay Meta's per-message fees, which depend on the message category.
This can take days to weeks and usually needs a developer.
If you are a clinic that wants reminders
Use clinic software with WhatsApp built in. The software company handles the API access, the approved templates and the sending. You set appointment and follow-up dates, and the reminders go out.
What to avoid
- WhatsApp Web automation tools. They break Meta's terms and can get your number banned.
- Promotional blasts to patients who did not ask for them.
- Free-form messages outside WhatsApp's 24-hour service window. Outside that window, only approved templates can be sent.
With Vaidya OS
On a paid plan, once WhatsApp sending is switched on, appointment reminders, a same-day reminder and follow-up reminders go out on WhatsApp from the Vaidya OS business number. They do not run during the free trial; see the pricing page for plans. A patient who replies STOP gets no more automatic messages. For one-off messages, such as sharing a prescription PDF, you use your own WhatsApp.