YesDok CEO Irwan Hartanto said that bringing the telemedicine feature to DANA was a step further in the two parties’ partnership. The e-wallet has been a payment partner for YesDok since last year.

“People are rapidly adapting to digital solutions for daily needs, including medical consultations during the pandemic,” he told the press on Friday. “Hopefully, we can be accessible to more people through this partnership.”

YesDok uses a recorded video conference system and can handle up to 6,000 video calls per day.

According to a survey by the Mobile Marketing Association, 38 percent of respondents tried online medical consultation services for the first time in April, among other online services such as e-learning and online fitness classes.

Read also: The time is right: COVID-19 gives more room for telemedicine to grow in Indonesia

Irwan went on to say that YesDok had seen a three- to five-fold rise in user traffic during the pandemic, with most users consulting about COVID-19-related health issues such as fever, cough and flu symptoms.

“What sets us apart from other telemedicine companies is that our service is on-demand 24/7, meaning customers do not need a reservation to reach us,” he said, adding that 70 to 80 percent of reservations were canceled in telemedicine.

Telemedicine will become the new normal, he said, but technological adaptation, especially for the older generation, and stable internet connection remain major challenges for the sector.

Similarly, ride-hailing giants Grab and Gojek also have telemedicine features in their applications, namely GoodDoctor and Halodoc, respectively.  

When asked about DANA’s plan to become a super-app company, its chief innovation officer Darrick Rochili said DANA “has no plan to become a super-app per se”, but would be open to partnerships and expanding to other features if it was relevant to its consumers.

The e-wallet also saw an overall 15 percent user growth during the pandemic, with 94 percent of users making online transactions.

Read also: Will Indonesia’s telemedicine start-ups be the next unicorns?

Business research and consultancy Inventure Indonesia’s latest report, titled “30 Consumer Behavior Shifts”, projects that telemedicine start-ups will grow faster after COVID-19 and the competition to offer the best services will be tighter.

“Once consumers get a satisfactory user experience that’s convenient, less costly and time-efficient, the service will enter into the mainstream phase with a bigger market,” Inventure’s report reads. “Under such conditions, there is a possibility for the market leader in this type of service to be the next unicorn.”