Telus buys Canadian arm of Babylon

VANCOUVER – UK-based health-tech company Babylon Health is selling its Canadian operations to TELUS Health. According to reports on the Internet, the deal is said to be worth about $70 million.

Babylon Health partnered with Telus Health in 2019 to launch a free app that gives Canadian users the ability to schedule virtual appointments with doctors, as well as run any symptoms of illness through a “chatbot” symptom checker.

The Babylon by Telus Health app is similar to Babylon’s app in the UK, called GP at Hand.

The partnership saw Babylon set up operations in Canada, hiring staff and tying in the services of physicians.

A spokeswoman for Babylon Health told Insider, and online news service: “We are delighted to have signed a new long-term strategic partnership and multi-year licensing agreement with Telus.

“With Babylon’s focus on the delivery and deployment of our high-quality AI-powered technology platform, Telus will take on operational control of Babylon Canada, while still leveraging Babylon’s service delivery expertise and experience.”

For its part, Telus Health confirmed the deal in a statement:

“Since investing in digital health technologies more than a decade ago, TELUS Health continues to make progress towards its strategy of transforming healthcare by delivering connected solutions and services to empower people to live healthier, happier lives. The transaction to acquire the operations of Babylon Canada, to own and enhance the patient experience end-to-end, is the right move to advance our strategy of enabling broader access to digital healthcare services and improving health outcomes for Canadians.

“As we expand the service across the country, Babylon has been, and continues to be, a strategic partner to us as we deliver virtual care directly to more consumers, while ensuring they continue to receive the same high quality care they have come to know and trust.”