Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

It’s that time of the year again when the humble ceiling fan becomes a part of household conversation, at least in Delhi. This week alone, I’ve had two spirited debates on the subject. Has the weather turned hot enough? Or is it still too cold? Are we ready to take the dive and turn on the switch? Or are we the kind of people who worry our health might suffer if we rekindle our relationship with the ceiling fan too soon? 

It’s serious business, with strong opinions all around—usually served with a side of advice on how to best manage your health. As a former healthcare journalist, I personally enjoy listening to people talking about health; there is always some interesting personal history hidden in these stories waiting to be set free.

But fans, flu, and healthcare tips are not what I’m here to talk about today. 

That’s the family doctor’s job. Or at least, it used to be. 

The neighbourhood general physician (aka family doctor) has been a declining breed for a while now, even as the needs they fulfilled still remain as real as ever. So a few years ago, vHealth by Aetna tried to reintroduce the classic archetype, but in a new avatar. 

vHealth’s focus has always been primary care—a bouquet of services with teleconsultation at its heart, with discounts on lab tests, in-person consults, and pharmacies all wrapped up in a neat subscription product. It was also the first to build a network of over 3,500 clinics, labs, and pharmacies across the country. 

And earlier this month, vHealth was acquired by healthtech startup MediBuddy—proving perhaps that in a space where building distribution is a serious challenge, established primary healthcare networks are worth their weight in gold. 

Let’s dive in. 

MediBuddy, vHealth, and the enduring value of primary health networks

Way back in 2017, I wrote about how Aetna, one of the largest healthcare insurers in the US, had taken a small but significant bet in India. Six years previously, they had acquired a startup with a subscription service for primary care. 

All this startup had then was a network of clinics, diagnostic centres, and pharmacies spread across India—big and small—along with a plan to bring back the ‘family doctor’.