A sick girl using the KonsultaMD app to consult a doctor about her fever | FILE PHOTO
Ayala-led telehealth platform KonsultaMD has entered the enterprise segment in a bid to encourage more Filipinos in using digital platform for healthcare needs while streamlining the services for ease of access.
Cindy Burdette, chief commercial officer at KonsultaMD, told reporters on Friday they are currently working with 88 enterprise clients from various sectors including logistics, manufacturing, business process outsourcing and banking, among others.
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Burdette noted that strong interest usually comes from companies with large manpower to look after.
“KonsultaMD is expanding its reach into the B2B (business to business) space, recognizing the significant role employers play in the healthcare landscape. Our goal is to assist our partners in maximizing their health and wellness initiatives through telehealth services, wellness journeys, and compliance monitoring,” the official explained.
Its portfolio of services include 24/7 online doctor consultations, in-clinic patient services, medicine delivery and at-home diagnostics and wellness services.
KonsultaMD CEO Beia Latay shared they are also extending services to local government units (LGUs), including Makati City. The company is looking at expanding into other provinces such as Sorsogon, Kidapawan and other remote areas where healthcare access is lacking.
For this to work, however, Latay said the LGUs should be open with adapting the technology, in addition to having connectivity infrastructure to enable the digital platform.
“Our mission is to address the fragmented healthcare market in the Philippines by providing efficient and alternative solutions, increasing medicine pricing transparency, and ensuring the convenient and efficient distribution of healthcare services,” Latay said.
Prioritizing health
In a study conducted by KonsultaMD with non-partisan research firm WR Numero Research, it revealed that Filipino employees are prioritizing their health.
Majority or 74 percent of the respondents said they had a consultation with a healthcare professional in the last three months. Some 75 percent also said they would file sick leave if they are not feeling well instead of pushing through with work.
In addition, about 62 percent would consult with a doctor immediately instead of diagnosing themselves or doing research about their symptoms.
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“This great awareness of good health-seeking behaviors shows that Filipino employees take their health seriously, not compromising the health of their colleagues and trusting doctors to manage their conditions,” the study noted.
Recently, the company made its annual health plan vouchers available via global online store SendVia, making its services accessible to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were nearly 2 million overseas Filipino workers in 2022, most of which were in Saudi Arabia.
KonsultaMD, one of the portfolio companies under Globe Telecom’s corporate venture builder 917Ventures, currently has over 1,500 healthcare providers and more than 2,000 pharmacy products. It has about 2.6 million consumers.