Chinese Medical Platforms Look to Serve Chinese in Virus-Hit Countries

LIN ZHIYIN

(Yicai Global) March 18 — Many Chinese online healthcare platforms, such as JD Health and Tencent-backed We Doctor, have opened channels for Chinese people residing abroad to find medical advice amid the Covid-19 epidemic.

Alibaba Group Holding’s AliHealth has launched a special online community for medical inquiries, targeting Chinese citizens staying abroad, Yicai Global learned. These people can also book a call with a Chinese doctor via the affiliated mobile wallet Alipay.

The companies cited social responsibility when asked about the reason behind the expanded services during times of epidemic distress spreading abroad. As the number of new cases falls in the mainland, the virus has formed new clusters around the world with a total of more than 100,000 cases.

An increasing number of clients are seeking help via medical platforms during the epidemic, an investor told Yicai Global. These service providers have a big role in educating their clientele while offering low-cost medical advice, the person added.

Healthcare community DXY is recruiting more doctors to participate in its program, an executive at the Hangzhou-headquartered firm said to Yicai Global, adding that the company has solved the challenge of ID authentication.

However, because medical systems are different in each country, Chinese platforms can only go so far as they cannot treat patients or prescribe drugs to them, said an insider.

Editor: Emmi Laine