Healthway Medical Corporation Limited (HMC), a private healthcare provider based in Singapore, has announced that its pediatric unit, Singapore Baby and Child Clinic has been onboarded onto its proprietary teleconsultation app. HMC said it will integrate further specialist clinics into the app in the months ahead. 

Island Orthopaedics and the Nobel Group of clinics will also be onboarded in the coming months. The Nobel Group encompasses specialist services such as Psychological Wellness, Gastroenterology and Cardiology.

Since its official launch on 15 August 2020, the Healthway Medical app has onboarded 47 of its GP clinics located islandwide.

HOW IT WORKS

With the app, patients can arrange a video consultation with a doctor up till 1030pm daily, with medication delivered to their doorstep. They can scan a QR code displayed at the registration counter of their regular GP clinic to confirm their details automatically.

THE LARGER TREND

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers have been ramping up their teleconsultation and telemedicine services. In May, IHH Healthcare, Asia’s largest privately owned healthcare group, rolled out telemedicine services in Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, India and Hong Kong, Healthcare IT News reported.

In Thailand, private healthcare provider Samitivej Hospital Group, which is owned by Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS), launched its Virtual Hospital app in March 2019 – the app includes teleconsultation and medicine delivery services. 

Dr Surangkana Techapaitoon, Deputy CEO of Samitivej and BNH Group of Hospitals & Director, Samitivej Children’s Hospital, said in the sixth episode of the HIMSS APAC Digital Dialogue Series that the number of patients using the Samitivej Virtual Hospital service increased six fold during the peak of the pandemic. 

ON THE RECORD

“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption and acceptance of telehealth services, particularly catering to those seeking medical assistance for non-COVID related concerns. While teleconsultations cannot replace the necessity of in-clinic care for a range of medical conditions, the provision of teleconsultation services facilitates more efficient doctor-patient interactions, especially when it comes to early diagnosis and preventive care. 

The ongoing digital transformation of traditional healthcare services will continue to play an important role in providing complementary holistic care for patients in tandem with in-clinic consultations,” said Dr Nelson Wee, Deputy Head of Primary Care of HMC.