DRIVING MALAYSIA'S TELEHEALTH SERVICES TO NEW HEIGHTS

The telehealth segment in Malaysia has long made its presence, with a blueprint first established in 1997, the segment was part of the nation’s goals to develop the healthcare industry.

- POOVENRAJ KANAGARAJ

However, being in a highly regulated space, the segment had not made any significant strides for years. But things have changed ever since. More players such as Teleme and ClicknCare have made their presence offering telemedicine services, expanding the virtual healthcare segment for Malaysians.

One player, dubbed as the nation’s first online telehealth platform, DoctorOnCall, has since come a long way. First established in 2016, the platform underwent a transformation, from a platform catering to curiosities on non-communicable diseases to vouching for the progress of telehealth services in Malaysia.

The trigger to establish this platform with partner, former Accenture consultant, Hazwan Najib, was not, as a matter of fact, to solely serve as a platform answering questions arising from the taboo subject, but to be a solution to an issue.

An issue, one of the founders, Maran Virumandi saw encroaching the healthcare industry is primary care. According to him, at the time, primary care was not going anywhere, and businesses were squeezed.

Doctors were in a never-ending battle with insurers and looming healthcare costs nobody knew how to control. The industry was fast approaching a crisis.

With a background in the telecommunications and financial services, Hazwan too was aware of the issue to an extent. “My last client was a major utility company. They spent over RM700 million a year on healthcare,” he says.

“As a nation with an ageing society and a healthcare inflation that wasn’t controlled, it’s going to be a problem sooner or later,” he adds. With career experience spanning across different industries, Hazwan was no stranger to disruptions.