New York (AFP) - Amazon has announced that it will acquire US-based primary healthcare company One Medical for $3.9 billion, in a major step for the online retail giant's move into the medical sector.

The giant has steadily expanded its business beyond e-commerce, and earlier this year said its telemedicine service was expanding nationwide in the US.

"We believe healthcare is high on the list of experiences that need to be reinvented," said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services.

"We see a lot of opportunities to improve the quality of the experience and give people valuable time in their days," he added.

One Medical, which operates a network of primary care practices and telemedicine services, has grown in recent years to more than 750,000 members.

The news comes after Amazon announced in February that it's expanding its Amazon Care service, which first launched in 2019 to provide the group's employees with access to doctors.

The technology company said the service combines virtual visits by doctors or nurses using the Amazon Care mobile app with personalized care by medical staff sent to patients' homes.

The telemedicine sector has grown with the restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, and Americans' use of it has increased by about 38 times compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report issued by "McKinsey & Company" in July.
At the same time, Americans typically get their health insurance through their jobs, so the current employment crisis in the US has prompted employers to offer increasingly attractive benefits.