Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced the ‘Healthier SG’ strategy, a significant transformation of Singapore’s healthcare system. The aim was to steer the nation towards proactive preventive care and empower people to chart their journey towards better health, including the crucial step of helping the population reshape their health-related behaviours and lifestyles.
Fuelled by Lifebuoy’s mission to protect lives, the alliance supports Singapore’s national strategy as it moves towards a preventive approach to health. With the brand’s reach as a respected household brand and Doctor Anywhere’s digital healthcare expertise, it presented a unique opportunity for two leading companies to unite and build a Singaporean solution to support the national agenda.
The MOU will strengthen efforts for joint advocacy and support for preventive healthcare in Singapore. These efforts will be guided by a long-term three-year ambition at scale, supporting vulnerable groups and enabling greater access to healthcare services and resources.
By 2025, the partnership aims to:
- Reach 1 million Singapore residents with content educating on the importance of preventive care and steps everyone can take to improve their health, with a focus on everyday illnesses/health.
- Increase access to preventive care resources and services for 10,000 Singaporeans in need (elderly, disabled, financially vulnerable).
- Strengthen Singapore’s healthcare ecosystem by providing accessibility and affordability by launching new preventive care digital health risk assessment, services and resources.
The work has already started with a first of a kind of on-ground event held at Jalan Besar Community Club on 12th November, funded by Lifebuoy with health screenings provided by Doctor Anywhere. During the event, over 120 health screenings were conducted, with dedicated fun fair for kids to learn about handwashing and hygiene.
Ms Denise Phua, Mayor of Central Singapore District and Adviser to Jalan Besar GRC (Kampong Glam), said, “The partnership between Unilever and Dr Anywhere is a great step towards supporting Singapore’s vision of preventive healthcare for our people. Unilever has been a very active partner for Central Singapore, providing complimentary healthcare products to bless many residents in need. We are delighted that Jalan Besar was selected as the first stop to launch the preventive healthcare initiatives of health education and screenings by the two partners. We are delighted to be a key community partner to help realise this vision that both partners and Singapore share. I am confident the joint efforts will make a difference towards a better life for our residents.”
Accelerating Singapore’s transformation towards a healthier future
Poh Khim Yin, Global Lead for Lifebuoy, comments, “We have always made and will continue to make quality, affordable products centred around promoting healthy hygiene habits. As a brand, we are about prevention help, but today, more is needed. The partnership with DA is a further evolution in Lifebuoy’s purpose to extend from product to services like telehealth.”
Lifebuoy is the fourth most consumed brand[1] in the world, with over 100 years of taking action to drive positive change through its large-scale behaviour change programs, which instil positive habits. With its scale and knowledge, it will share its resources with Singapore’s most exciting tech start-ups with expertise in healthcare.
“We might appear to be two very different brands, but a common belief unites us that prevention is better than cure when it comes to health. Simple actions like practising good hand hygiene and undergoing regular health screenings can make all the difference.”
Lim Wai Mun, Founder and CEO of Doctor Anywhere, said: “Emerging from the pandemic, Singaporeans have embraced new digital health innovations and are increasingly concerned about their health and well-being. There is an untapped opportunity to leverage these shifts to fundamentally change how we think and manage their health, even as Singapore looks to meet the rising healthcare challenges of the ageing population and the rise in chronic disease. Our partnership with Lifebuoy in Singapore is a significant undertaking to advance and support Singapore’s Healthier SG strategy in moving beyond reactive healthcare to prevention. By providing access, tools and awareness to help all Singaporeans make prevention at the heart of their health, it marks the transformation towards a healthier population and a healthier future for all.”
Singapore is a strategic hub for both companies:
Singapore is paving the way for digital health ecosystems with new business models delivering healthcare in an increasingly scalable, sustainable, and personalised way. Lifebuoy’s ASEAN telehealth strategy has been in place since 2020 across APAC. Lifebuoy’s telehealth activations have reached almost 300 million people since 2020.
[1] Based on Kantar Brand Footprint Report 2022. Details available on https://kantar.turtl.co/story/brand-footprint-2022-p/
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About Lifebuoy
Lifebuoy is the world’s number one hygiene soap brand, sold in over 100 countries. Through the Lifebuoy brand, we aim to make a difference by creating quality, affordable products and promoting healthy hygiene habits. Since 2010, we have reached over 1 billion people through our handwashing programs.
Since the launch of the Lifebuoy brand in 1894, we have supported people in their quest for better personal hygiene. The classic red bar of soap and its distinctive medicated carbolic scent was synonymous with cleanliness throughout the twentieth century. Today, the brand is so much more. With its many soap variants and specially designed body washes. These, along with the range of liquid hand washes and hand hygiene gel, ensure daily hygiene and freshness for the entire family. For more information, please visit: 
https://www.unilever.com/brands/personal-care/lifebuoy/
About Doctor Anywhere
Doctor Anywhere is a regional tech-enabled, omnichannel healthcare company, on a mission to make healthcare simple, accessible, and efficient for everyone. Doctor Anywhere’s digital platform bridges gaps in the healthcare ecosystem through technology and innovation, enabling users to manage their health easily and effectively through the DA mobile app. Headquartered in Singapore and with a presence in six countries across the region, Doctor Anywhere now serves more than 2.5 million (and growing) users across Southeast Asia. For more information visit: http://www.doctoranywhere.com
