Knok will manage Portugal’s first private health centre

Knok, a startup that graduated from UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, is the company responsible for managing the São Pedro da Cadeira Family Health Centre in Torres Vedras. The startup will provide primary healthcare to more than 5,000 patients under a five-year contract with the State worth 2.4 million euros.

“We want to be part of the solution. We will be the managing body of the Model C Family Health Centre (USF C), with our own staff, whilst adhering to and respecting the rules of the National Health Service. There is nothing that other health centres offer that ours does not,” says José Bastos, co-founder and CEO of Knok.

Model C Family Health Units (USF C) represent a distinct form of organisation for primary healthcare, enabling management by private or social sector organisations under a contract with the National Health Service (SNS). The aim is for these models to be established in areas facing difficulties in securing family medicine providers, such as the Western region of the country.

Founded in 2015 by José Bastos and João Magalhães, Knok facilitates patients’ access to primary healthcare through an app and a platform that integrates video consultations, triage support tools and remote patient monitoring, using artificial intelligence. Through this system, Knok helps to identify symptoms and share clinical information with doctors in real time. Since its foundation, the company has facilitated over 2.5 million clinical interactions across 12 countries.

This is one of 12 public contracts that Knok has signed over the past two years; the most recent was with the Aveiro Regional Health Unit, worth 58,000 euros, for the provision of medical services to strengthen primary healthcare provision.