Roshan Expands Afghanistan's Telemedicine Project to Bamyan Province

Afghanistan mobile network, Roshan has expanded its Telemedicine solution beyond Kabul to include provincial hospitals. Bamyan Provincial Hospital will be the first provincial medical facility linked to the Telemedicine project, which uses broadband technology, wireless video conferencing and digital image transfer, to provide hospitals in Afghanistan with real-time access to specialist healthcare diagnosis, treatment and training expertise from abroad.

Launched in 2007, the project already links FMIC in Kabul, Afghanistan to AKUH in Karachi, Pakistan, enabling access to a broad array of radiology expertise provided by AKUH. The second phase links BPH to the FMIC, which is being developed as an Afghan center of medical excellence. To date, more than 340 patients have benefitted from Telemedicine and more than 231 Afghan medical personnel have participated in diagnostic and training opportunities facilitated by the technology.

Telemedicine links will be extended to other provincial hospitals and eventually to medical institutions in Europe and North America. The Telemedicine project developed in Afghanistan is also seen as a model for addressing healthcare delivery shortcomings in other developing countries where access to medical diagnosis, treatment and training is limited.

"After the launch and initial success of Telemedicine in Kabul, we are delighted to begin extending Telemedicine links to provincial hospitals in Afghanistan, where the need for access to quality specialist diagnosis and training is even greater," said Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer of Roshan. "Telemedicine further demonstrates the power of wireless technology to improve people's lives and expand the healthcare resources available to the people of Afghanistan."

The Bamyan region in Afghanistan has some of the highest levels of maternal and child mortality in Afghanistan. For every 22,500 births, there are 382 maternal deaths and 3,937 infant deaths. The Bamyan Provincial Hospital was originally established in 2001 and in 2004, the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) assumed management as part of its wider endeavor to improve the living conditions and quality of life for the people of Bamyan. The hospital has since grown from 30 beds to its present capacity of 74 beds. There are an estimated 514,698 people served by the hospital on an annual basis.

Posted to the site on 7th June 2009