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Norwegian operator establishes new healthcare unit, plans to extend new Tonic scheme to other Asian markets.
Telenor has established a new subsidiary to house its growing digital healthcare portfolio, which includes its Tonic service, unveiled in Bangladesh on Sunday.
Tonic is a membership scheme that covers a range of healthcare needs, including access to doctors and to reliable healthcare information, discounts on key hospital services and cash compensation for hospital stays.
It is available immediately to Grameenphone customers and includes a number of free services, Telenor said.
The Norwegian operator described the launch of Tonic in Bangladesh as its "first official step…into the global health sector." It added that the services it will make available under the Tonic brand back up its aim to develop what it describes as a "digital front door" to healthcare for all echelons of society.
"Health and particularly digital health has the potential of becoming an integral part of our development as the customer’s favourite partner in digital life, and there is no better place to start than Bangladesh," said Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke, in a statement.
"We have been present in the country since 1997, longer than any other Asian market, and furthering access to primary healthcare including insurance solutions, medical professionals, aspirational health content and discounts for hospitals is an extension of our commitment to empowering the community," he added.
While Telenor chose Bangladesh as its launch market for Tonic and tailored its specific offerings to that market – its online information service Tonic Jibon is in the Bengali language, for example – it also indicated that it plans to expand its healthcare services to other markets.
Its new business unit, Telenor Health, will be an umbrella for Tonic and other digital health services, enabling the telco to launch elsewhere in Asia. The operator did not specify which markets might be next on the list, but noted that it serves 185 million customers across Asia.
