Fitbit to offer free wearable devices to one million Singaporeans in new health scheme

As many as one in five Singaporeans will be able to get the device, on the condition that they spend S$10 a month for a year

Fitbit’s tie-up with the Singapore government is the first of its kind globally, the company said

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Fitbit says the scheme includes a process to indicate whether users agree to share their data with the health board. Photo: Facebook

Published: 7:00am, 22 Aug 2019Updated: 10:14am, 22 Aug 2019

Fitbit has won a contract with the Singapore government to provide fitness trackers and services to up to one million of the country’s citizens as part of a health initiative that begins in October.

The deal, which involves the company supplying its trackers free of charge but on the condition that users will spend S$10 per month for a year, sent the company’s shares 8 per cent higher in pre-market trading.

The deal is a boost for the San Francisco-based wearables pioneer, which has seen its shares sink in the past two years in the face of competition from Apple, Samsung Electronics and a raft of cheaper rivals.

“This is Fitbit’s first major integration of a digital health platform and wearables into a national public health programme globally,” the company said.

Singapore, a city state of 5.6 million people, has among the world’s longest life expectancy and widespread access to health care.

However, the government has raised concerns about relatively high rates of heart disease and diabetes among its fast-ageing population.

Subscribers will receive personalised health advice and nudges, and it will encourage physical activity, healthy eating and better sleep quality among users, said Zee Yoong Kang, CEO of Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB).