• Video medical consultations gaining popularity in current COVID-19 situation
• These policyholders can access a broad range of holistic health and wellness services from Doctor Anywhere at preferred rates

Singapore, 18 May 2020 – In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Great Eastern (GE) has strengthened its partnership with health-tech company Doctor Anywhere (DA) to bring online and offline general practitioner (GP) consultations island-wide to more of its customers. Policyholders of its Integrated Shield Plan – GREAT SupremeHealth – can now look forward to a $12[1] consultation fee that covers online and offline GP services. Since April this year, they have been able to enjoy this preferential rate for both online video consultation service as well as walk-ins to see doctors from DA’s panel of over 300 GP clinics.

This latest move by Great Eastern is aligned to its attention to customer needs in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation. In the first quarter of 2020, telemedicine services have risen in popularity among Singaporeans who prefer to seek medical attention through online consultations. From January to March, there was a 41% increase in total sign-ups to use DA video consultation service and an 89% increase in total calls made among the GE group insurance customers. DA has been GE’s health and wellness service provider for its group insurance customers since August 2019.

Mr Patrick Kok, Managing Director of Group Operations of Great Eastern, said, “With increasing public concerns about visiting GP clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have broadened our shield insurance coverage beyond hospitalisation to provide convenient island-wide GP coverage via video consultation and panel clinics for our GREAT SupremeHealth policyholders. This is in addition to the comprehensive range of health and wellness offerings that they can enjoy at preferred rates. Putting our customers first and providing personalised services that matter to them is central to our thinking as we expand our partnership scale and scope with DA.”

DA’s 24/7 video consultation platform allows users to skip long clinic waiting queues to consult a Singapore-licensed doctor anytime, anywhere, with medication delivered to their home within hours. Medical history, health reports, and other documents are stored in-app for easy access. For conditions that require a more thorough diagnosis, patients may visit a panel clinic for a physical consultation.

[1] For video consultation: Excludes medication. Free island wide delivery to homes and offices (except for secured locations where a fee of $15 applies. See full list of secured locations at https://doctoranywhere.com/faq). For panel GP clinics: excludes medication, investigations and surcharges.

If specialist referrals are needed, Great Eastern’s complimentary Health Connect service can assist GREAT SupremeHeath policyholders to schedule appointments with any of the doctors in the panel of more than 400 specialists across all medical disciplines. The service also provides customers with pre-authorisation letters if hospitalisation is needed or to help them with cashless or co-payment arrangements[2].

Furthermore, all GREAT SupremeHealth policyholders will enjoy preferential rates for dental services, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services such as acupuncture and traditional chinese massage, optical services, and other health and wellness services through DA’s membership perks.

On the DA Marketplace, a specially curated in-app shopping platform, GREAT SupremeHealth policyholders can also shop for a wide range of health and wellness products and services, such as nutritional supplements, skincare products, physical therapy sessions, and even book home-based healthcare services. This is in line with the partnership’s belief and commitment to offer Great Eastern customers a comprehensive suite of health and wellness services to suit their busy schedules and complement their lifestyles.

Mr Lim Wai Mun, Founder and CEO of Doctor Anywhere said, “We are thrilled to form this strategic partnership with Great Eastern – a trusted insurer in the region, to strengthen healthcare coverage for their customers. This milestone agreement is a pre-cursor to further investment into technological solutions to improve the patient experience and quality of healthcare, and we look forward to a strong and meaningful collaboration.”

Both companies will continue to leverage on each other’s platforms to improve healthcare and wellness coverage to customers, including corporate clients in the employee benefit space, as well as individual consumers.

Appendix

•     Appendix 1 - How to activate Great Eastern Integrated Shield medical benefits via Doctor Anywhere app

[2] Depends on integrated shield plan purchased and the coverage of the plan.

About Great Eastern

Founded in 1908, Great Eastern is a well-established market leader and trusted brand in Singapore and Malaysia. With over S$90 billion in assets and more than 8 million policyholders, including 5 million from government schemes, it provides insurance solutions to customers through three successful distribution channels – a tied agency force, bancassurance, and financial advisory firm Great Eastern Financial Advisers. The Group also operates in Indonesia and Brunei and has a presence in China as well as a representative office in Myanmar.

The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited and Great Eastern General Insurance Limited have been assigned the financial strength and counterparty credit ratings of "AA-" by Standard and Poor's since 2010, one of the highest among Asian life insurance companies. Great Eastern's asset management subsidiary, Lion Global Investors Limited, is one of the largest private sector asset management companies in Southeast Asia.

Great Eastern is a subsidiary of OCBC Bank, the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932. It is now the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world’s most highly-rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody’s. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC Bank is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.

 #GreatEasternSG #TheLifeCompany #Lifeproof

About Doctor Anywhere

Doctor Anywhere is a regional tech-led healthcare company headquartered in Singapore. With a strong network of established healthcare providers and experienced doctors, Doctor Anywhere’s digital platform enables users to manage their health easily and effectively through the Doctor Anywhere mobile app. Users can consult a licensed local doctor anytime, anywhere, and get medication delivered to their doorstep within hours. Medical history, health reports, and other documents are stored in-app for easy access.

Under the DA Network clinics, users also have access to an island-wide panel of general practitioners, specialists, and allied healthcare providers.

From consultations and claims management to appointment booking and wellness shopping on the DA Marketplace, Doctor Anywhere is the one-stop place for to address all healthcare needs. Doctor Anywhere now serves more than one million, and growing, users on its online and offline platforms.

For more information, please contact:

Appendix 1 - How to activate Great Eastern Integrated Shield medical benefits via Doctor Anywhere app

Activate Your $12 Consultation Coverage

How to Video Consult a Doctor?

Great Eastern shield members can also visit the Great Eastern Health Connect website for further details or call Health Connect @ 6563 2233 to assist you in activating the medical benefits via Doctor Anywhere app.