LOCAL telehealth startup Doctor Anywhere is making its move to expand in the region, with the inking of a strategic cooperation agreement with Bao Minh Insurance, one of the largest insurance groups in Vietnam.
This partnership will bring online healthcare services to more than seven million of Bao Minh’s customers in Vietnam, which is slated to be the most comprehensive digital healthcare service to be launched in the country, providing a suite of online and offline healthcare services, including doctor video-consultation and medication delivery, online health and wellness shopping marketplace, home-based healthcare services, all on one single platform.
With this tie-up, users can video-consult a Vietnamese doctor on their phone and get medication delivered to them within three hours in the city.
This is said to be the first significant regional expansion that is announced by Doctor Anywhere, with a few other “major partnerships” still in the works.
Lim Wai Mun, founder and CEO of Doctor Anywhere, said that since its launch in Vietnam in the second quarter of this year, it has established its presence in the business hubs of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with plans to roll out more clinics and pharmacies in key cities in the upcoming months.
“With this landmark agreement with Bao Minh, we will be able to strengthen our commitment to deliver convenient healthcare solutions tailored to the needs of the Vietnamese people, and become the model for case study in other Asian healthcare markets,” he added.
Vietnam has a population of an estimated 96 million, with a smartphone penetration rate of 84 per cent in key cities. This partnership is a “crucial milestone” in the healthcare ecosystem of Vietnam, according to the startup.
It is expected to boost the distribution of healthcare services in the country, easing the current resource constraints on hospitals and doctors, and making quality healthcare services more accessible and affordable.
Le Van Thành, general director and board member of Bao Minh, noted: “This collaboration with Doctor Anywhere will allow us to be well-positioned to meet the demands of the digital age in Vietnam.”
Source: Businesstimes.