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https://scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3074280/alibaba-health-offers-free-online-medical-consultation-overseas Big Tech
Alibaba Health offers free online medical consultation to overseas Chinese as coronavirus circles the globe
- The doctors available for consultation work at public hospitals in China and have received training for the diagnosis and treatment of the coronavirus
Tourists wearing masks seen in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan, March 5, 2020. Overseas Chinese can use AliPay to get free online consultations with doctors in mainland China. Photo: EPA-EFE
Alibaba Health, the health care flagship of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, has joined with its affiliate Alipay to offer overseas Chinese free online medical consultation as the number of coronavirus cases continues to mushroom all over the world.
Using the Alipay app, overseas Chinese can get in touch with doctors in mainland China for free health care consultations from 8:30am to midnight, the Hong Kong-listed company announced on Sunday on its official account on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
The service was also recommended by Chinese embassies in Italy and Japan, which said in separate official statements that the coronavirus outbreak in the two countries has posed a major health risks for Chinese living or travelling there.
According to information on the websites of the two embassies, the doctors available for consultation via the platform work at public hospitals in China and have received training for the diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus.
Alipay is operated by Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial Services. Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post.
Starting in China, the coronavirus has become a global health crisis with more than 100,000 confirmed cases in over 100 countries or territories as of Monday, according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The total number of infection in Italy soared to 7,375 and the death toll rose to 366 as of Sunday, according to the country’s Civil Protection agency. In Japan, 313 cases have been confirmed as of Friday, according to the country’s Ministry of Health Care, Labour and Welfare.
The coronavirus, which causes the disease known as Covid-19 by WHO, has given a boost to online medical services in China as people remain largely confined at home and want to limit the risk of cross-infection at clinics and hospitals.
Ping An Good Doctor, one of China’s largest online health care providers, said in mid-February that it had recorded 1.11 billion visits to its platforms since the outbreak, with newly registered users growing 10 times.
From January 20 to February 13, the number of medical-related mini-programs on Chinese super app WeChat jumped by nearly 800 and visits to these platforms rose 347 per cent compared to data recorded in December, according to official WeChat figures released in late February.