SINGAPORE – 14 April 2020 – Doctor Anywhere, a regional tech-led healthcare company headquartered in Singapore, will be launching the Doctor Anywhere COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic. In line with the Singapore Government’s social distancing measures to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19 infection and efforts to ringfence confirmed cases, the service will help to identify COVID-19 signs and symptoms and escalate suspected cases for further medical assistance.
Major insurers including Cigna and AIG are also partnering with Doctor Anywhere to offer the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic as a free service to their policyholders. The service will be crucial during a period where contact tracing for a growing number of local unlinked cases is still ongoing and where someone could potentially be infected is still uncertain. For individuals in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic is a full suite service.
In Singapore, for example, steps for users to access this service include:
- Using the Doctor Anywhere mobile app to access ‘COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic’ video consultation
- Speaking to a doctor within 5 minutes
- During the video consultation, the doctor will ask for travel history, signs of chest infection, or whether there is any contact with confirmed cases, as well as other questions to triage and determine possible infection
- If the doctor suspects an infection, the Doctor Anywhere Care Team will assist to coordinate next steps, including calling an ambulance to transport the user from home to Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) in the next hour for a COVID-19 swab test
- If the doctor assesses that it is not a suspected COVID-19 case, medication can be prescribed to ease symptoms, which will be delivered to the user’s home within 3 hours
In Thailand and Vietnam, the local Doctor Anywhere teams will also provide assistance to connect the patient to the appropriate healthcare authorities to receive further medical attention.
Users in other countries can also access the Doctor Anywhere COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic, but the service will only include video consultation with a doctor to identify symptoms and provide advice on next steps or a memo to obtain medication from a local pharmacy.
“Following the closure of our recent Series B funding round and endorsement from the Singapore Government, Doctor Anywhere is well-positioned to look after the health of our nation and the region, especially during critical times like these,” said Lim Wai Mun, Founder and CEO, Doctor Anywhere. To help reduce the strain on our healthcare system, and provide accessible and affordable care to everyone, Doctor Anywhere has launched the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic, where users can speak to a doctor to identify risks and symptoms of infection and suspected cases can be quickly escalated for appropriate medical care.”
“I’m also very heartened that insurers like Cigna and AIG and others have come on board for a collective cause. We are all committed toward doing all we can to halt the spread of COVID-19 across the communities we love and care about,” said Lim.
“The fact that physical healthcare facilities could be sources of contagion means many are now focusing their attention on new models of care that avoid physical contact between clinician and patient. For clinicians who are self-isolating or under quarantine, video consultation allows them to continue treating patients. In such crucial times, we know that every doctor available to help the situation counts. Beyond COVID-19-specific consultation, we also need these doctors to continue providing primary care – through telehealth – for ailments like eye infections, skin conditions, urinary tract infections and chronic diseases, etc.,” said Dr Kevin Kok, a practising doctor and Chief Operating Officer, Doctor Anywhere.
For individuals who are feeling unwell but unsure if symptoms experienced are due to COVID-19 infection, Doctor Anywhere COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic ensures that they can have access to professional medical assessment, while avoiding the risk of unintentionally infecting the people around them, or the risks from self-medicating.
Public fees for video consultation via the Doctor Anywhere COVID-19 Medical Advisory Clinic is SG$10. This does not include medication that might be prescribed by the doctor.
