- Walmart is currently the largest retail group in the world thanks to its more than 11 thousand branches distributed in 28 countries.
- According to some media, the first country in Latin America to which Walmart Health would expand would be Chile.
- This project only works in the United States and is characterized by offering general medical consultations, x-rays, optical, dental and hearing services at low prices.
It is not a secret that health has become a juicy business. Behind the patient care service there is also a lot of money at stake and that is why more and more companies are interested in entering this sector. Such is the case of Walmart Health, a service that currently only operates in the United States but could soon expand to Latin America.
How did Walmart come about?
Before talking specifically about this project, it is necessary to understand the power of this popular chain of convenience stores created in 1945 by Sam Walton. At that time it was the times after the end of the Second World War and hopeful airs were breathed. With this in mind Walmart emerged with the aim of offering all basic necessities in one place.
From that moment began the legacy of a company that in a short time became a powerful emporium. One of the secrets of the business was to purchase products in large quantities directly from suppliers to achieve higher profits.
only at present Walmart is considered the largest public corporation in the world. It is also the largest retail group on the planet and has just over two million employees. While its growth translates into more than 11 thousand branches distributed in 28 countries.
What is Walmart Health?
Since 2018, a project emerged as an alternative for the population of the United States. The general principle was to offer general medical consultations, x-rays, optical, dental and hearing services at low prices. The idea is quite similar to that of some pharmacy chains in other parts of the world.
With the above in mind, Walmart Health has grown exponentially in a short time and therefore the next step is to expand to other regions such as Latin America.
In that sense, the first country chosen would be Chile. According to local media, the commercial brand “Líder Salud Limitada” has already been registered with the National Institute of Intellectual Property (Inapi).
According to the documentation, all types of assistance, medical and health services are requested. Therefore it is a replica of the model that already operates in the United States. Furthermore, it is not ruled out that Walmart Health is also taken to other territories in Latin America.
Besides, It cannot be forgotten that at the end of 2022 Walmart signed an agreement with the UnitedHealth Group health insurance company. This is the beginning of a collaboration that plans to extend for at least the next 10 years. The goal is to use the collective expertise of both companies to serve millions of people with high-quality, affordable healthcare.
The collaboration began that 2023 in the 15 clinics that Walmart Health has in Florida and Georgia. Although positive results are expected to be extended to the rest of the American Union. According to the information published by both companies This new program is exclusively for seniors and beneficiaries of the Medicare program.
As part of the alliance, Optum, a UnitedHealth Group company, will help empower Walmart Health physicians through analytics and decision support tools. The goal is to provide comprehensive care to patients.
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