Deutsche Telekom has launched mydoc.de, a health portal, which is the result of a partnership between its t-online.de unit and NetDoktor, a leading health advice portal. Initially the portal is PC-based but responding to a query by Mobile Health Live, Deutsche Telekom said it is working on an app that will also make the portal available to smartphone and tablet users.

The emphasis of the new portal is on health news. The kind of areas covered by the portal are diseases and drugs as well as detailed articles on fitness, nutrition and psychology. Specific examples of the areas covered include exposing fitness myths as well as guides on how to combat muscle and joint pain.

This initiative is separate from an online health and fitness assessment service Deutsche Telekom was supposed to launch early in 2012. It has yet to launch although the German operator says that it remains the intention. The operator is still in talks with Swiss firm Quentiq whose platform Deutsche Telekom wants to offer.

The difference between the two services says Deutsche Telekom that Quentiq is a fitness platform that combines with social media while the mydoc.de is a health news portal.