Digital healthcare platform MediBuddy acquires rural healthtech startup Clinix

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Digital healthcare platform MediBuddy on July 13 acquired Clinix, an online doctor consultation platform specialising in rural India.

MediBuddy's acquisition of Clinix will help it to further scale its operations and expand services to the interiors in rural India, said the company in a statement. Clinix has a widespread network across 20 second and third-tier cities, catering to the healthcare needs of the rural population, the company noted.

“We see our acquisition of Clinix as a significant step forward in our aim to provide quality healthcare made accessible to every Indian. Clinix has a wide presence in the rural areas and with our network and infra-tech support, we aim to further expand our reach and services and achieve our goal of covering a large section of the population, who have limited access to quality healthcare solutions,” said Satish Kannan, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MediBuddy.

According to MediBuddy, the rural population often encounters several difficulties with regards to sound tech infrastructure in place, doctor-to-patient ratio, technical know-how, internet penetration, online payments systems, and so on to avail of quality healthcare facilities. Language also plays a major barrier in rural areas.

MediBuddy said Clinix is working towards solving this problem and has set up a system of training and empowering locals by teaching them the booking procedures for online doctor consultations.

“In India, the doctor-patient ratio is very skewed and when you compare it to rural India it becomes even lesser. MediBuddy’s advanced technology and extensive network will go a long way in helping us cover a wider range of population and bridge the urban-rural divide in terms of quality healthcare solutions,” said Aravind Dhulipala, co-founder and CEO of Clinix.

MediBuddy said it has a partner network of over 90,000 doctors, 7,000 hospitals, 3,000 diagnostic centres, 2,500 pharmacies, and about 1,800 members. The company said it has also created an integrated ecosystem that offers patients several healthcare services in 16 Indian languages.

Earlier in June 2020, Medibuddy had announced a merger with online doctor consultation provider DocsApp for an undisclosed amount. The merger was in a cash-and-stock deal and both brands had agreed to continue existing independently.