Singapore's Health Innovations Acquires Digital Health Startup AskDr

This acquisition is said to be a strategic move that has positioned the consortium favourable to make a positive impact on healthcare in the Asia Pacific region.

Health Innovations, a consortium of practising medical doctors from the GP+ cooperative, has announced the acquisition of Singapore's leading digital health startup, AskDr. 

This acquisition is said to be a strategic move that has positioned the consortium favourable to make a positive impact on healthcare in the Asia Pacific region. The move was strategically timed as Singapore shifts towards a value-based care model under the 'œHealthier SG' program launching this year.

However, the financial details of the acquisition of AskDr by Health Innovations are not disclosed, which is, however, said to be successfully completed. The union brings together a skilled and well-funded team consisting of experienced doctors, entrepreneurs, and health technology experts who share a common vision. Their goal is to improve patient care and empower individuals to take charge of their health journey.

Reports suggest that the integration of AskDr's cutting-edge technology and expertise with the established practices of Health Innovations providers is set to reshape the digital health landscape in the Asia Pacific Region. 

Sharing his views on the acquisition, Health Innovation's Director, Dr. Gerard Lin said, "With the acquisition of AskDr, we are thrilled to incorporate these digital capabilities in our plans to support a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem."

"Together, we will accelerate the adoption of groundbreaking digital solutions for professional training, empower patients with reliable information, and help improve ease of access to high-quality healthcare services for patients," he added.

Launched amid the COVID-19 pandemic, AskDr, Singapore's renowned digital health startup, rose rapidly into fame owing to its innovative Online Health Community (OHC) platform. This platform offers patients with convenient access to reliable medical advice and personalised health information. 

AskDr founder Brian Toh and cofounder Dr. Dinesh Visva Gunasekeran collaborated with various volunteer doctors to combat medical misinformation and facilitate remote medical professional training.

Volunteer doctors played a crucial role in elevating the digital health platform, AskDr's status as an essential weapon to fight against fake news, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This goal was soon achieved by facilitating patient-driven medical discussions with the involvement of verified doctors as moderators for crowd-sourced, scalable, and data-driven public health promotion. 

AskDr had grown its revenue base to include paying customers from Fortune 500 companies including Astra Zeneca GSK, and Roche. 

Expressing his views, AskDr's CEO Brian said, "The acquisition is a great opportunity for our platform to reach a wider audience and to provide even more people with access to accurate and up-to-date health information while further empowering doctors to dispel medical misinformation at scale." 

"We are honoured to empower this body of doctors that contributed to the success of our platform. We will continue to support them in creating a lasting positive impact on healthcare in the region, " he added.

"My colleagues and I are motivated to solve problems faced by our patients that we encounter on the ground in our practice of medicine. We are always looking for ways to improve things for our patients," said Dr. Gunasekeran, cofounder, AskDr.

He continued to add, "I am glad that we were able to solve major problems during the pandemic through this start-up and help allay some of the panic that ensued as the outbreak progressed."