Doctor Anywhere cuts 8% of total headcount, some roles in Singapore affected

SINGAPORE – Telemedicine provider Doctor Anywhere is shedding 45 jobs, or 8.1 per cent of its total headcount, in a move to cut costs and reprioritise its operations.

Founder and chief executive Lim Wai Mun announced the layoffs via an e-mail to staff on Dec 2, and also addressed the issue at a town hall on Dec 3, sources told The Straits Times.

Mr Lim did not specify affected roles, but a spokesman told ST that less than 20 per cent of the affected jobs were based in Singapore.

ST understands that most of the affected roles here were in tech and finance.

The remaining cuts were spread across some of the regional markets the firm has a presence in, which include Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The spokesman said that the company is committed to supporting affected employees across its markets by offering enhanced severance benefits that “exceed statutory requirements”.

“These include severance pay based on tenure, notice period pay, leave encashment, and extended healthcare coverage where applicable,” he said.

“We are also providing immigration assistance where needed and completion bonuses for roles requiring transition support.”

ST understands that affected employees will receive pay for their notice period, as set out in either their employment contract or local statutory guidelines, whichever applies for a longer period.

They will also receive one month of severance pay for every full year of service, or the amount stipulated under local statutory guidelines, whichever is higher.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, the prevailing norm in Singapore is to pay a retrenchment benefit of between two weeks to one month’s salary for each year of service, depending on the company’s financial position and the industry.

In unionised companies where the amount of retrenchment benefit is stated in the collective agreement, the norm is one month’s salary for each year of service.

Doctor Anywhere’s latest capital injection came in December 2023, when it raised US$40.8 million (S$55 million) in a funding round.

The home-grown start-up, which provides multiple healthcare solutions from telehealth to physical clinics and specialists, also saw its revenue balloon from more than $4.5 million in 2019 to over $51 million in 2022.

It recorded an absolute growth rate of more than 1,000 per cent between 2019 and 2022, according to a 2024 ranking of the 100 fastest-growing firms in Singapore compiled by ST and data company Statista.

In response to queries from ST, the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) said Doctor Anywhere is a non-unionised company, but some workers are HSEU members. HSEU is an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

HSEU executive secretary Steven Goh said that in retrenchment exercises involving individual union members from non-unionised companies, NTUC’s affiliated unions or associations will extend assistance to those members affected.

“With reference to this (retrenchment) exercise, HSEU is actively reaching out to these members and remains committed to providing support, if needed,” he said.