As demand skyrockets for healthcare in Southeast Asia, remote medical provider technologies are becoming increasingly popular. The technologies, which include app-based medical consultations and other telehealth options, allow doctors to reach more patients, especially in remote areas where access to healthcare providers is lacking. Total medical expenditure in the region, more than $400 billion in 2017, is expected to almost double by 2025. But the number of doctors is inadequate to meet the growing need.
Given those limitations, telemedicine has gained a strong foothold. In Singapore, half a dozen telemedicine providers are competing for customers, including mydoc, Doctor Anywhere, RingMD and Speedoc. In Indonesia, telehealth app Haledoc has more than 2 million users and a database of 20,000 doctors. And China is getting into the act, with online healthcare app Ping An Good Doctor looking to make inroads into the Southeast Asia market in 2020.