Doctor search engine Practo today announced the first acquisition for this financial year. FitHo Wellness, a nearly four-year-old digital fitness solution, reportedly accessed by two million people each year across the world is now a Practo company.

The acquisition for an undisclosed amount will enable Practo plant its feet in the preventive healthcare space, whereas the company had so far focused on the ‘curative’ segment. Practo has, over the seven years of its existence, aimed to create a single health account for all the health data of an individual.

“Acquisitions are the way forward for us. The healthcare segment is very fragmented and we see an opportunity to grow beyond our current markets, and especially where mobile penetration is increasing,” said Practo’s Founder and CEO Shashank ND. Dhruv and Prachi Gupta who kicked off FitHo in 2011 will join Practo’s leadership team.

With the acquisition, Practo also acquires all proprietary algorithms and the automatic recommendation engine that suggests diets and exercise programmes in a customised manner to users. FitHo’s current solution will be phased out in 6 months while a new offering for preventive health will be launched in the short-term.

“Together we will be able to offer consumers interesting and unique solutions that are more comprehensive than either of us had before,” said Dhruv Gupta, Founder and CEO, FitHo.

Practo was started in 2008. The company now claims to be Asia’s Number One doctor search engine with firm hold in India, Singapore and the Philippines.

“We’re number six at a global level, and that’s rare for an Indian company. We’re interested in expanding in Latin America, South-East Asia and what we term as Middle East-Africa markets,” Shashank revealed.

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