ZONG 4G Connects Female Doctors At Homes
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 & 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 DoctERs.
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