Low-cost health tech Dr. Consulta to enter vaccine sweepstakes

Earlier this year, an association of private clinics in Brazil began negotiations to purchase 5 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Indian lab Bharat Biotech. The move stirred controversy and criticism among experts— who saw it as a way for rich patients to “cut in line” — but regulators have yet to issue their opinion on the matter. Meanwhile, private companies are scrambling to be ready as soon as they have a green light from authorities. Within this parallel vaccine race, a new, big hitter is looking to join the fray: health tech Dr. Consulta.

Founded in 2011, Dr. Consulta works as a low-cost healthcare network allowing patients to schedule doctor’s appointments and lab exams via a smartphone app. It is present in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte — three of the country’s most-populous cities — and employs more people than any other health tech in Brazil.

Much of the draw of Dr. Consulta’s services is that they allow citizens without private health insurance policies to access cheap medical care, without going through Brazil’s free — and often overburdened — public health system.

In an exclusive interview with The Brazilian Report, Dr. Consulta founder and chairman Thomaz Srougi confirmed that his company is seeking to use this same model with coronavirus vaccination.

Indeed, low costs will be key for any vaccination effort on the...