Telemedicine Country Report-Pakistan

Pakistan is densely populated country with major rural urban disparity in delivery of healthcare services. Even though the population of Pakistan is concentrated in the villages and small towns, the medical services in those areas are far from sufficient. The telecommunication industry in Pakistan is undergoing a rapid development, as a result of which the communication connectivity all over the country has improved remarkably. Many developing countries have started to realize the importance of eHealth/telemedicine and are pioneering the implementation of telemedicine projects. Telemedicine/eHealth projects in developing countries offer an opportunity for people living in underserved and rural areas to obtain improved healthcare services. Pakistan is not an exception and has started several eHealth/telemedicine projects to improve rural health care. Various private and government organizations have participated in implementation of telemedicine in Pakistan. Pak-US collaboration in telemedicine led to establishment of first telemedicine/E-health training center for capacity building in Pakistan. It has trained 45 doctors and nurses in telemedicine. These trained personals are helping other hospitals, like Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Hospital, to establish their telemedicine facilities. Moreover during the 2005 earth quake of Pakistan this center established telemedicine centers in effected areas. The need of telemedicine and eHealth was greatly realized in 2005 earthquake of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan is now considering eHealth as a modality for the rebuilding of quake hit areas. Pakistan space organization (SUPARCO) has also established Pakistan's first satellite based telemedicine network. In collaboration with Ministry of IT, SUPARCO is establishing three satellite based telemedicine centers at big cities. The Government of Pakistan, in consultation with Telemedicine/E-Health training center, is also working on establishing nationwide telemedicine network by connecting all medical college hospitals with district hospitals.