Ooca, a Thailand-based mental health telemedicine application, has closed its Series A funding deal with Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PLC (BDMS).
Ooca said in a statement that BDMS and Ooca aim to make mental health care easily accessible, change people’s attitudes towards mental health to regard it as a normal matter, and leverage Thailand’s public health standards in order to maximize the country’s capabilities and competence for future generations.
According to the statement, BDMS and Ooca have joined forces to help Ooca reach its goal of becoming Thailand’s No.1 provider of mental health services, both online and offline.
Ooca and BDMS are now collaborating to create and promote initiatives that make mental health care accessible to all, a priority that is just as important as physical health.
Ooca’s plan is to expand its service within mental wellness verticals to be able to walk hand-in-hand with its clients in a wider range of stages.
“Ooca is the first and largest digital mental wellness platform in Thailand that provides counselling services with psychiatrists and psychologists online since 2017. We have a strong determination to initiate and shift mental health norms in our society,” said Dr. Kanpassorn (Eix) Suriyasangpetch, the Founder of Ooca.
“Currently, over 180,000 users across Thailand have experienced our services through the application. Five years ago, most people may not have been familiar with mental healthcare or seen how mental health can be supported through telemedicine, but now having a video call with psychiatrists or psychologists has become more popular and widely practiced,
“This is one of Ooca’s achievements – as an innovative leader in leveraging new counselling standards among other traditional mental health services and changing people’s perspectives towards mental health,” she added.
Founded in 2017, Ooca is the first mental health tech innovator in Thailand, which started out with telemedicine used for consultations with psychiatrists and psychologists through an app.
Users can make video calls with psychiatrists and psychologists anytime and anywhere, catering to modern lifestyles that have an increased focus on mental health but seek convenience.
The number of users of Ooca services has surpassed 180,000 across the country as of to date, which includes private employees and over 60,000 state employees, at institutions such as Mahidol University, the Bank of Thailand, and Kasikornbank.
“Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PLC aims to improve medical treatments and services efficiency to global standards. We have been scouting for cutting-edge technology from startups globally to ensure our services are tailored to the most advanced technology used in medical treatment, thus providing efficient services,” said Dr. Patcharin Boonyarungsun, Vice President – BDMS Sustainability, Quality, and Innovation Management at Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, PLC.
According to her, health tech startups in Thailand have great potential, comparable to or even surpassing that of foreign companies.
“BDMS is committed to aiding Thailand’s health tech startups, created by and for Thai people. BDMS is committed to fostering innovation through collaboration and support,” she said.
She also said the firm has always been collaborating closely with government agencies, medical schools, and startups to leverage medical services in both physical and mental health, which is a significant factor regarding sustainability and life quality improvement.
“Last but not least, BDMS strongly believes that we can be part of the journey that helps leverage Thai public health standards and increase Thailand’s capabilities towards the future,” she added.
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