Long-Distance Healthcare

COVID-19 drives unprecedented demand for telehealth startup Alodokter

- Elisa Valenta

The coronavirus pandemic has severely strained the healthcare system. A visit to a doctor’s office or hospital is risky nowadays as hospitals remain overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Thus, in this crisis, telehealth - a platform that connects patients to doctors through the internet - is stepping up as a critical technology in solving the healthcare problem. Using the internet, telehealth providers allow patients to consult with doctors from homes. The doctors then make a preliminary diagnosis remotely by evaluating symptoms, offer a solution, and even write a medical prescription for mild illness.

Consequently, during the pandemic, telehealth platforms have reported a skyrocketing demand for their services. Alodokter (PT Sumo Teknologi Solusi) is one of them. Alodokter has more than 24 million monthly active users throughout Indonesia, with more than five million downloads. However, in the first two weeks in February when the news of the pandemic developed, more than 15 million visitors accessed Alodokter platform.

“During this coronavirus pandemic, people are searching for comprehensive information about the virus. People are trying to get the right medical advice in facing this situation,” says Nathanael Faibis, co-founder and CEO of Alodokter.

Nathan has extensive experience in both startup and healthcare industry. During 2010 to 2012, he worked in France, Kenya and Morocco as a project manager for Sonisphere, a pharmaceutical market research firm. In 2012, he joined Lazada as head of production and user experience for Southeast Asia. Nathan helped launch e-commerce. In early 2013, he re-joined Sonisphere in Jakarta as the country head and global head of data management. A year later, he started Alodokter.