THE consolidated KonsultaMD superapp, which will launch in the first quarter of 2023, will offer on-demand and scheduled consultations, same-day medicine delivery, home-service diagnostics, doctor visits, concierge services, nursing care, fitness coaching, and nutritional counseling, said Globe Telecom, Inc.
The expanded reach of the new KonsultaMD app puts AC Health in a “unique position [to offer] an omnichannel approach to health,” said Paolo Maximo F. Borromeo, president and chief executive officer of Ayala Corp.’s AC Health.
“Digital health now becomes the front door for face-to-face services that will remain absolutely critical in healthcare,” he added at an Aug. 18 event marking an agreement among Globe Capital Venture Holdings, Inc. (917Ventures), the corporate venture builder of the Globe Group; Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. (AC Health), the healthcare portfolio arm of the Ayala Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Vigos Ventures, Inc.; and Salud Interactiva S.A. DE C.V., a Mexico-based company that develops and integrates health and wellness services, to consolidate Global Telehealth, Inc. (KonsultaMD), HealthNow, Inc. (HealthNow) and APPPPS Partners, Inc. (AIDE).
“[Our] greatest impact is the hundreds of millions of savings among people who can’t afford insurance, who can’t afford to see a doctor… Can we go for universal coverage? Yes, we can. Can we do it cheaply? Yes, we can,” said Salud Interactiva founder Pedro Yrigoren.
Connecting AC Health’s ecosystem of healthcare providers and Globe’s ecosystem of digital solutions under the KonsultaMD brand will “democratize healthcare” in the Philippines the way it democratized financial services through the e-wallet GCash, said Ernest L. Cu, president and chief executive of Globe.
“The problem of healthcare in the Philippines continues to be unsolved. These are the kinds of things Globe likes to tackle,” he said, adding that such problems are “too big” to solve in a brick-and-mortar fashion. “We need to be able to use our reach … to be able to give Filipinos access to healthcare 24/7 throughout the country.”
He hopes that “KonsultaMD” will become a verb in the same way that “GCash” has: “People say, ‘i-GCash mo na lang ’yan [just GCash it].’ … In three years or so, [people are also going to say], ‘i-KonsultaMD mo na lang ’yan [Just KonsultaMD it].’” — Patricia B. Mirasol
