American manufacturer of activity trackers and other health related gadgets, Fitbit on August 21, 2019 said that it has signed a contract with Singapore government to provide fitness trackers and services in a health program and said it could reach up to one million users. The company said that it will supply trackers free of charge on the condition that the users spend S$10 each month for a year on the company’s premium subscription.
A spokeswoman for Fitbit said, “The program’s goal is to ultimately reach up to one million people”. The upcoming program can prove to be a boost for the San Francisco based company that manufactures wearable devices and has seen a sink in the shares in the past two years and also a competition from Apple, Samsung electronics and other cheaper rivals.
Fitbit in a statement said, “This is Fitbit’s first major integration of a digital health platform and wearables into a national public health program globally”. Singapore is a city state and has 5.6 million people with the longest life expectancy in the world and widespread access to healthcare. But the government has raised concerns about the relatively high rates of heart disease and diabetes among its fast-ageing population.
The subscribers of the Fitbit wearables will receive a personalized health advice and nudges to encourage physical activity, better health and healthy eating habits. The company has informed that the program will begin in October and will ask the users if they consent to share their data with the (Health Promotion Board) HPB that will use the information for health promotions. The HPB spokeswoman said that Fitbit was among many of the bidders and added, “There were many bidders and some were significant international players”. It was also informed that the company had set the target of one million users. Even Apple was one of the bidders for the program.
Photo Credits: Gadgets and wearables
