SINGAPORE – Guardian Health & Beauty, the leading health & beauty chain in Singapore, in partnership with MyDoc, a digital health tech start-up, are strongly committed to answering the population health needs of Singaporeans. As Singapore’s demographics and healthcare demands continue to evolve, there is a growing need for better self-care solutions that are supported by technology to reduce healthcare costs. At the moment, the island nation is set to become the highest healthcare spender in Asia Pacific, projected to reach $66 billion annually by 2030 (or $51,000 per person).

Lately, Singapore has been witnessing a high bed occupancy rate at public hospitals – a situation that is commonly known as ‘bed crunch’. An ageing population that requires longer hospital stays makes up one of the factors that contributes to the nation’s bed crunch. This situation is compounded by the fact that Singaporeans are making unnecessary visits to accident & emergency rooms. This increases waiting times and poses a serious problem for those who are in actual and dire need of emergency care and hospital beds. All these factors highlight an urgent need for self-care solutions that can free up hospital beds and waiting times at hospitals and clinics.

In 2015, Guardian cemented a partnership with MyDoc. This partnership saw consumers having access to pharmacists from Guardian and doctors through virtual health consultations via MyDoc’s platform. This partnership is the first-of-its-kind globally, marking the first time that a health & beauty retailer is offering virtual health consultations with a team of Singapore-based healthcare providers. This partnership aims to offer simple, easy-to-use and time-saving services for convenient and accessible healthcare to reduce the burden on the healthcare system.   

“As one of the leading pharmacies in the region, Guardian takes a great deal of responsibility for Singapore’s self-care needs,” said Sarah Boyd, CEO of Guardian Health & Beauty, Singapore and Cambodia. “To ensure that these needs are taken care of, it is not enough to merely provide reactive remedies for the population. We need to be proactive in our solutions and services. A generation of consumers that are more aware and informed of their options places an increasing importance on personalised care and patient experience. Healthcare services are moving away from a B2B model towards a consumer based system, placing us in an era of retailisation of healthcare. Guardian Health & Beauty is stepping up to this challenge and our partnership with MyDoc is a wonderful example of this.”

Patients are increasingly looking to technology to support their overall health. In fact, a June 2017 global survey, which involved Singapore, revealed that 65 percent believe that technology will be the answer to improving population health. Even the group known for being the least ‘tech savvy’—elderly Singaporeans—are expressing an appetite for integrating more health tech options into their life. The percentage of seniors who use digital health tools has risen from 59 percent in 2014 to 73 percent in 2016. In fact, approximately 13 per cent of Guardian users on MyDoc are aged 45 and above.

“MyDoc was born from the need to simplify access and delivery of healthcare solutions for both patients and doctors. As a company that brings together patients, healthcare providers and partners, MyDoc’s platform empowers Guardian consumers to effectively manage their health and wellness needs through communication with an expanded network of qualified Guardian pharmacists. Together with Guardian, MyDoc is making it easier to access and provide quality health to the whole of Singapore,” said Dr Snehal Patel, Co-Founder and CEO, MyDoc.