ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (APP): The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have a great potential in fast and reliable
flow of information for medical services and providing tele-health
facilities especially in rural areas.
Pakistan has a low doctor to patient ratio (1:1000 approximately) and the number is even worse for rural areas. In this scenario ICTs solutions can be key to provide diagnostic and medical advice to patients of remote parts of the country.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its report has said there was a huge buzz regarding healthcare apps and solutions in government and private sector.
In this direction, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has launched several important healthcare initiatives such as Dengue Activity Tracking System (to log all field activities related to prevention & eradication of dengue), Disease Surveillance System (for early detection of any future outbreaks), Medicine Inventory Management System (to maintain comprehensive stock information for medicines across all District & Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals) and Drug Inspection and Monitoring (to monitor registered and unregistered pharmacies, the availability of standard drugs and compliance with drug laws).
Moreover, in private sector, wearable personal healthcare products are also becoming a massive hit globally.
Another award-winning medical initiative with ICTs at its core is doctHERs that enables female doctors to inspect and prescribe treatment to patients remotely through web connection.
The doctHERs have established physical clinics at various locations where qualified nursing staff assists female doctor (available via remote link) in providing medical treatment to patients.
