Healthtech ‘super app’ KonsultaMD rides high on Globe, Ayala support

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Hello reader,

I’m not a fan of going to the doctor. Having to travel to a clinic and then waiting in a room full of other sick patients isn’t exactly appealing to me, especially when I’m not feeling great. I seem to get by just fine with some medicine and rest.

Perhaps KonsultaMD, the telehealth platform, might appeal to someone like me. Backed by corporate stalwarts Ayala (AC, PHS) and Globe Telecom (GLO, BHS), the Philippine-based startup operates a health “super app” that also offers medicine delivery and a marketplace of healthcare providers.

As my colleague Melissa documents in this week’s featured story, KonsultaMD derives an “unfair advantage” from its relationship with Globe, one of the Philippines’ largest telcos with 55 million mobile subscribers.

Indeed, KonsultaMD’s services are bundled together with Globe’s mobile plans, and about 56% of the former’s users are also Globe customers.

It may seem odd that a telco is backing a telehealth platform. But remember that Globe also spawned GCash, one of the most successful fintech platforms to come out of the Philippines.

Given the major gap in the provision of healthcare services in the country, any effort to increase coverage should be welcome. Yet, it may take a while for KonsultaMD to truly gain scale – the company’s CEO says it may only become a unicorn in the next five to eight years.

— Simon

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Image credit: Timmy Loen

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