ISLAMABAD – In the remote town of Mansehra, a clinic powered by Zong 4G & operated by DoctHERs serves the urban slum area in Shahnawaz chowk. 14-year-old Rehmat from the areas is brought to the clinic by his father who works as a mechanic.
Dr. Mariya, connected via video link from Lahore, 400 miles away, examines Rehmat with the help of Raheel, a qualified nurse. Rehmat has night blindness and this is the first time he has been diagnosed with the disease.
Rehmat’s father Zahoor, says; “This (health care platform) is a blessing for people like us who cannot afford high consultant fee of private hospitals.”
In Pakistan, 60% of medical students are female but the majority drop out after graduation due to social & cultural pressures, Dr. Rabya being with one of them. Zong under its CSR program is powering DoctHERs to employ female out of work doctors, connecting them from the comfort and security of their homes to thousands of people in marginalized communities.
From the urban slums of Sindh to the hilly mountains of KPK, Zong has leveraged its widest and fastest 4G footprint across Pakistan to provide connectivity in 9 telemedicine centers across Pakistan.
The initiative links the urban/rural patients with the help of paramedics equipped with Zong’s 4G internet and HD video-conferencing. Trained, trusted community-based nurses, health workers (CHWs) and midwives (CMWs) assist remotely located female doctHERs in physically evaluating patients at ‘point-of-care’ using diagnostic tools.
In addition to providing connectivity, Zong’s ‘New Hope’ volunteers, conducted community mobilization & awareness sessions across these towns to stimulate participation in the healthcare venture.
“This is a wonderful initiative to bring quality health care to people from humble backgrounds who do not have access to health facilities and Zong feels proud to have partnered with them. We hope that this innovative and high impact partnership helps the under-privileged segments of our society through affordable healthcare services in addition to empowering qualified female doctors to work from home,” explained Zong’s Director Corporate Affairs, Mr Maham Dard.
“As Pakistan’s leading 4G Telecom provider, we believe in empowering people and societies to create exponential social, environmental and business impact,” he further added.
“It is a miracle to finally claim that no longer is there no viable way of connecting the marginalized with a doctor. Connectivity by Zong has now helped doctHERs reach far flung areas. Together we aim to bring about an unbeatable impact,” said Dr. Sara Khurram, the co-founder of DoctHERs.
