Telefónica eyes e-health opportunity with Brazilian acquisition

Spanish operator group Telefónica is looking to explore the opportunities in the e-health sector by acquiring a controlling stake in Brazilian chronic care management provider Axismed.

The operator has made the acquisition via its digital innovation arm Telefónica Digital, and said that the deal  will enable it to deploy an end-to-end service proposition in the fast growing Brazilian e-health market. The firm will target private healthcare providers, corporate customers and its 90 million customers in Brazil.

According to Telefónica, the deal will mean that patient care will be carried out over a multi-channel platform, contacting users through mobile applications, internet, email, SMS and video conferencing. Within the first year, the platform will enable the transmission of bio metrics data through connected devices in the patient’s house, which will measure glucose levels, blood pressure and other physiological indicators, based on each individual’s specific case, Telefónica said.

“The deal is part of the company’s global strategy to focus on the e-health market, which is one of a number of areas in which Telefónica Digital is developing new innovative products and services,” commented Antonio Carlos Valente, CEO of the Telefónica Group in Brazil. “With our connection solutions and the Vivo 3G network, which is unparalleled in Brazil, monitoring chronic patients could reach significant numbers of people in over 3,000 cities nationwide.”

Read our feature on the future of  health and communications in Brazil

Axismed has been operating for ten years and its services have been used to monitor more than 180,000 patients across Brazil. Its customers include healthcare operators and large private companies.