PRESS: VEB.RF to invest 1 bln rbl in telemedicine proj Doctor Nearby

MOSCOW, May 13 (PRIME) -- VEB Ventures, a unit of Russian development bank VEB.RF, will invest 1 billion rubles in development of clinics and telemedicine platform Doctor Nearby, which may be explained by growing popularity of telemedicine amid the COVID-19 spread, business daily Kommersant reported on Thursday.

VEB Ventures said the investment will support creation of telemedicine products, increase of capacity of the telemedicine platform, promotion, and others.

The synergy of offline and online technologies allowing patients to choose a convenient way of consulting a doctor is now more relevant than ever, said Leonid Melamed, a co-founder of Doctor Nearby and a former president of multi-industry holding Sistema and mobile operator MTS.

A source close the deal told the daily that VEB Ventures will invest in the project 625 million rubles in 2020 and 375 million rubles in 2021. At the second stage, third-party investors could be engaged, the source said.

Founded in 2011, Doctor Nearby runs 12 clinics in Moscow and the telemedicine platform.

(73.4326 rubles – U.S. $1)

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