Health Minister Inaugurates First Ever Telehealth Services between Islamabad and Skardu

The Federal Minister for Health, Mr. M. Nasir Khan, today inaugurated the first ever Telehealth service between Islamabad and Skardu. The event was jointly organized by the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) and Baltistan Health and Education Foundation (BHEF). who are also the project partners for the project “ICTs for the Development of Remote and Mountainous Areas of Northern Pakistan”, under which the Telehealth services are being provided.

H.E. Mr. Nasir Khan, the Chief Guest on the occasion, applauded the efforts of COMSATS and project partner BHEF. He said it is a tremendous achievement to see the concept of Telehealth being realized, he congratulated the project partners and especially appreciated and accredited Dr. Hameed Ahmed Khan for undertaking such a challenging and rewarding project for the people of the Northern Areas. He opined that we need to equip ourselves for the future challenges in the field of healthcare and that Telehealth suitably fits and caters to our growing national needs. The Chief Guest also pledged his support to the project especially under the women and child healthcare programme.

This developmental project had been generously co-sponsored by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Crown Corporation of the Government of Canada. The Canadian Charge d’ Affaires, H.E. John J. Moore, also graced the occasion with his participation. Speaking on the occasion, he said, the Government of Canada and IDRC are proud to be associated with COMSATS and BHEF in delivering healthcare services to the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Earlier, the Executive Director, COMSATS, Dr. Hameed A. Khan, welcomed the participants in the launching ceremony and emphasized the role of Telehealth. He said, Tele-health provides fast and easy access to clinical and healthcare needs for the general public and is an effective tool for the governments in delivering the true healthcare value in a most comfortable and economic manner. Dr. Khan cherished the supportive role of Canadian Government and IDRC and spoke high of the partner organization BHEF in establishing a virtual mechanism for medical consultation. He while inviting other development and donor agencies to help COMSATS in extending this network noted that women and children are the direct beneficiaries of the service and that more than 1100 specialist tele-consultancies were rendered so far.

The gathering was attended by diplomatic community in Pakistan, especially from COMSATS member countries, medical and healthcare professionals, heads of S&T organization and people from all walks of life. The event also included a live demonstration of tele-consultation from Skardu, via video conferencing. The Telehealth clinic at Skardu was yesterday visited by Federal Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas Major (Retd) Tahir Iqbal, who also appreciated and lauded the efforts of project partners: IDRC, COMSATS and BHEF.