In Southeast Asia, a leapfrog phenomenon toward remote medical care is occurring. The phenomenon of advanced technology spreading in one leap is occurring in the medical field. For example, Indonesia is a country with insufficient medical infrastructure. According to the World Bank, Indonesia has 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people. This is significantly lower than the world average of 1.8. Even in this situation, there are people who seek medical services. Among them, HaroDoc has partnerships with 20,000 doctors, 3,300 hospitals, and 4,000 pharmacies. According to HaroDoc, the most recent monthly users are about 20 million. Of these, 58% are outpatients, and the remaining 42% are medical treatments through medical apps such as HaroDoc. The price of medical treatment through the app starts from 25,000 rupiah (about 220 yen), and the medicine prescribed by the doctor is delivered within 15 minutes.
Medical apps are rapidly spreading in Southeast Asia. Many countries have started using medical apps due to restrictions on movement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries in Southeast Asia have few doctors, and the spread of apps has led to improved medical services. In the Philippines, the major conglomerate Ayala Group has integrated three apps. The Ayala Group is building a system to meet a wide range of user needs, from remote medical care to home medical care. What is currently happening is cross-border integration and acquisition. In fact, Singapore’s Doctor Anywhere has acquired a Thai company in the same industry. Medical apps are starting to spread across borders. It is said that cross-border medical apps are already being used in Thailand and China. This trend may also come to Japan.
While Japan is sluggish, medical services in Southeast Asia are rapidly improving. In Singapore, the need for remote medical care has increased sharply during the city lockdown under the coronavirus pandemic. However, as coronavirus-related regulations are lifted, more patients are seeking the peace of mind of face-to-face medical care. It seems that they have realized that services are not sufficient if they are only online. Singapore has a high number of doctors per capita, and medical facilities are readily available. This city-state has everything from small clinics for casual visits to high-end hospitals for the wealthy. Singapore is moving towards omnichannel, combining remote medical care with face-to-face medical care at hospitals. Medical services that combine online and real-world services are advancing. Japan has a large number of doctors. However, medical care that meets the needs of patients is lagging behind. Improvements in this area are needed.
