Ayala Group consolidates health apps

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala Corp, the country’s oldest conglomerate, is building a one-stop health “super app” that will make it more accessible for Filipinos to access health care services.

In an announcement yesterday, Ayala through Globe Capital Venture Holdings Inc. (917Ventures), healthcare arm Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. (AC Health), have agreed to come together to deliver the largest healthtech play in the country.

Global Telehealth (KonsultaMD), HealthNow (HealthNow) and APPPPS Partners (AIDE) will combine their respective applications through the new and unified app.

KonsultaMD serves teleconsultations while HealthNow serves medicine deliveries. AIDE serves laboratory tests and home care. Altogether, the companies have an existing user base of over two million.

The full service health super app will be rebranded as the new KonsultaMD, which will go live by the first quarter of 2023.

To date, KonsultaMD is already the dominant player in teleconsultations with over one million members and a retail network of over 50,000 outlets, Ayala Corp. said.

Over the past two years, HealthNow and AIDE have emerged as critical players in the AC Health ecosystem, growing its base to over one million registered users.

“By combining the strengths of each of the three entities, I am excited to see the new KonsultaMD support AC Health’s vision of an integrated healthcare ecosystem,’’ said Paolo Borromeo, president and CEO of AC Health.

“This combined digital team, supplemented by the network of services from AC Health, allows us all to be in a better position to provide much-needed access to quality healthcare services and medicines across the country, accelerating our goal of touching the lives of one in five Filipinos by 2030,” Borromeo said.

Cholo Tagaysay, who has presided over KonsultaMD the past two years, will be the CEO of the consolidated entity.

“Consultations are at the top of the funnel. Consultations generate prescriptions, which in turn generate lab requests. Now, we can fulfill all of these. We are a one-stop-shop for all your health needs,” said Tagaysay.

At present, KonsultaMD provides affordable healthcare services through 24/7 online doctor consultations and unlimited teleconsultations, no appointment needed. It covers basic healthcare, medical assessment, and permissible medication via voice or video calls at the most affordable rates.