Good Doctor Technology (GDT), a regional health-tech company with the vision of providing ‘One Doctor for One Family in SEA’, officially announces the launch of their Thailand operations upon receiving the newly obtained telemedicine license issued by the Bureau of Sanatorium and Art of Healing under Thailand Ministry of Public Health. With the telemedicine license, GDT Thailand will provide access to full-time employed doctors who have been specially trained to deliver high standards of virtual consultations.
Telemedicine — the delivery of medical services through electronic means of communication — has been available in Thailand for several years under medical clinic license. However, the acceleration of telemedicine licensing amid the growing spread of COVID-19 infections, demonstrates the urgency to recognise virtual modes of medical consultations by local health authorities. The increasing trend of people using telemedicine services during the pandemic has driven both healthcare institutions and other medical providers to turn to alternative ways of providing essential services virtually. As the kingdom continues to curb the spread of COVID-19, the opportunities of telemedicine presented itself as a timely solution for limiting patient displacement to hospitals, allocating hospital capacity to important cases, while continuously providing people with the right care at the right time.
GDT first sets up its operations in 2020 and established a fully licensed offline medical clinic in 2021. Since then, the company has focused on strengthening their local capabilities to harness the benefits of new technologies and latest innovations that have proven to successfully close accessibility and affordability gaps in other Asian countries. Under the telemedicine license from the Bureau of Sanatorium and Art of Healing under the Ministry of Public Health, GDT Thailand plans to continue bringing affordable, accessible and highly integrated medical capabilities, including the implementation of standardised clinical pathways and medical triage automation to conduct effective text-based teleconsultations. With the unique online-to-offline (O2O) patient care model, users can now follow up with a physical consultation at the clinic, should they require additional medical support after their teleconsultation. The O2O model will also give patients the option to physically visit the same doctor they consulted with virtually, for added consistency and comfort. By taking a holistic approach in caring for patients throughout their sick and wellness journey, GDT aims to bridge existing healthcare accessibility gaps in Thailand.
Dr. Sudihichai Chokekijchai, Head of Medical Team, Good Doctor Technology Thailand Co., Ltd., said: “As a regional telemedicine provider, GDT Thailand has the advantage of drawing from best practice learnings and experiences from other countries where our services are already live. By leveraging on cutting-edge technologies and digital health innovations, we are able to serve more Thai patients better through our service. With the group’s collective operating experience of over 12M users in Indonesia and technology expertise from China, we can create a bespoke service that meets the healthcare needs of digitally savvy Thai users.”
Designed to give users access to high quality medical services when they are feeling unwell and supporting them to stay healthy, these features will complement existing in-app offerings such as the arrangements of prompt prescription medication deliveries to patients and facilitate appointment bookings. Upon successful log in into the app, users will get connected to GDT’s in-house doctors within 60 seconds, complete their virtual consultation and receive a diagnosis or treatment recommendation with prescription grade medication electronically transacted from the e-pharmacy within 15 minutes, before receiving their medications delivered at their homes in less than 60 minutes. Currently, GDT Thailand is working directly with corporates to launch their healthcare services to employees, with timely and relevant services related to Covid-19 monitoring and home-based screening capabilities which are already made accessible to existing users.
Melvin Vu, Regional CEO of Good Doctor Technology, adds: “With the launch of our telemedicine and digital health services in Thailand, we want to provide all our users with access to an additional source of medically backed health and wellness tools where they can receive healthcare services at their fingertips. We hope that by working closely with local industry players such as governments, hospitals, doctors’ associations and other key stakeholders, we can continue to play our role in shaping the future of digital health in Thailand.”
