Amazon is planning to shut down its in-house healthcare service by the end of the year

Amazon warehouse

Amazon set up its virtual health service in 2019

The retail giant is set to close Amazon Care by December 31, according to an email sent by senior vice-president of Amazon health services Neil Lindsay.

The service was set up in 2019 to offer Amazon staff virtual access to doctors and nurses 24 hours a day. While the service has no physical location, users can receive in-person treatments such as vaccinations.

It was initially trialled by workers in Washington state but rolled out across the country last year. The retailer also began offering the healthcare service to private employers last summer.

The move comes just months after Amazon said it was planning to expand its in-person services to 20 more cities.

Lindsay said in the email that Amazon had listened to feedback from employers and worked to improve Amazon Care.

He added: “However, despite these efforts, we’ve determined that Amazon Care isn’t the right long-term solution for our enterprise customers. 

“Amazon Care is not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers we have been targeting and wasn’t going to work long-term.”

Amazon is nonetheless still focusing on healthcare. Last month, it announced plans to purchase membership-based healthcare service One Medical for $3.9bn.

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