Panel SA: Telemedicine expects new level of demand after omicron

After the explosion of the omni, which boosted telemedicine care in the country, companies in the sector estimate that demand should settle at a higher level when the situation normalizes.

At Grupo NotreDame Intermédica, the demand for telemedicine this year has already risen 25% compared to November and December.

The Unimed National Center jumped from just over 11,000 queries in November 2021 to almost 66,000 in January this year. According to the company’s president, Luiz Paulo Tostes Coimbra, demand rose as of December 20 and required a 140% increase in professionals per shift.

At Grupo Conexa, an independent telemedicine platform, it also reinforced the team earlier this year, with more than 330,000 consultations, excluding mental health services, according to the company. Of this total, more than 137,000 were related to Covid-19, 652% more than in December.

The Dr. Consulta network registered around 13,000 telemedicine visits in January, 50% more than in November, when the variant had not yet arrived in the country.

With data commissioned by the healthtech Saúde da Gente, the entity Saúde Digital Brasil, which brings together telemedicine providers, states that, in early December, there were around 7,000 consultations per day. In January and February they shot up to 40,000 in the daily average.

Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Ana Paula Branco