Gay Dating App Blued to Offer Men’s Health Services

China-based gay dating app Blued announced that it has obtained an Internet Hospital license to offer men’s health services to its users.

BlueCity, which owns Blued, created its own online health information platform He Health in 2019 to elevate awareness of HIV and its prevention among the app’s users. The health portal will now be rebranded as He Health Internet Hospital, and in addition to providing information and consultations, the online hospital will sell HIV diagnostic kits and work with local authorities to offer testing centers around China. 

Under the new license, doctors and medical professionals will also be able to offer advice and expertise to patients directly through the dating app’s platform. Instead of turning to third party apps for this kind of service, Blued users can feel safer and more confident talking directly with doctors over the dating app about sensitive issues like erectile dysfunction, HIV testing and prevention, and access to prescription medications, according to news website Pan Daily.

BlueCity’s CEO and Founder Baoli Ma began meeting with Chinese officials as early as 2012 to address access to men’s health in the country and pointed out how the app has helped to curb the spread of HIV among its residents just by raising awareness. These talks led to BlueCity obtaining a license to further expand its services and offer more comprehensive healthcare to users.

Online healthcare in China is a booming business, which was boosted during the pandemic as countries went into lockdown. The industry, along with its online pharmacy market, is expected to reach 523 billion yuan by 2025, or just over $80 billion USD. The size of the men’s health market is expected to reach 99.6 billion yuan in the same time frame, according to Pan Daily.

BlueCity and its signature dating app Blued is making a name for itself in and outside of China. Despite being based in a conservative country, Blued has managed to grow successfully and went public last summer with an $85 million debut on Nasdaq valuing the platform at $614 million. The company has also acquired lesbian dating app LESDO to add to its portfolio. 

The app’s new health services offering “essentially closes a glaring gap in the field of men’s health in China, itself a sector that is expected grow significantly over the next few years,” the company said in a press release.

“We’re delighted to open what will be China’s first Internet hospital focused on men’s health, tapping into a budding sector that we view as a key driver in the brand’s next phase of growth,” said Ma.