Punjab govt to launch online portal for free healthcare services

Punjab Government is planning to launch a web portal providing free healthcare services using the concept of telemedicine. The main goal of the web portal is to provide standardized services despite geographical barriers many people are facing within the province.

The initiative has been approved by the Government and will commence from next month. Senior clinicians and doctors will be available online where they will diagnose the patient first and then prescribe medicine and treatment according to the ailment. This project was initiated in a pilot phase in Dera Ghazi Khan and Taunsa Sharif and after the success of the system there, it is now being deployed throughout the province.

Back in 2018, Punjab Government connected around 250 basic health units (BHUs) for their teleconsultation program. This online portal is another step towards the digital transformation of conventional infrastructure of many industrial segments in Pakistan which will pave way for better efficiency and a connected landscape. Telco giant Jazz is also working with Sehat Kahani to digitize medical consultations through their app throughout Pakistan. Punjab Information Technology Board also implemented a digital hospital management and information system across 17 hospitals within the province in April this year.

This initiative by the government is currently limited to the province but we may soon see replicas in other areas as well. The med-tech industry is now a booming $336.2 billion business worldwide. It is only a matter of time we see the digitization of other segments of the industry as well.

The web portal will be available on 1st July. Do you think this web portal will help in the provision of medical services throughout the province?