Our cOLLABORATION
BUILDING PARTNERSHIP
COMSATS believes in collabroations and partenrships with various stakeholders for Telehealth activities through agreements on financial assistance, resource sharing, training and capacity building support. Various collaborations have materialized in form of establishment of several Tele-health clinics across the country. The partner organizations include Federal and Provincial governments, Foreign Donor agencies and NGOs, etc. A few prominent collaboration assuming practical dimensions were with the partners briefly discussed below:
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, financed the ICT4D in the second phase of the CTH project. The collaboration enabled COMSATS to expand Tele-health within Pakistan. COMSATS established the first ever ISP in Skardu area and a Tele-health clinic to offer healthcare through this Internet facility.
Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan, through its Ministry of Science and Technology supported COMSATS to establish 13 Tele-health Clinics in various parts of the country; offered the premises, staff and infrastructure of the Basic Health Units for this purpose.
Government of KPK-IT board
The KPK IT Board collaborated with COMSATS under e-Ilaj programme to provide primary health care by female doctors to the local population through Tele-health. Under the programme, COMSATS assisted the KPK-IT Board in establishing three Teleclinics in the province to be operated by women.
Baltistan Health and Education Foundation (BHEF)
COMSATS jointly set up the first ever Tele-health clinic at Abdullah Hospital, Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region with BHEF. The project has greatly benefited the people in the area as a significant number of patients turned up for checkups with the specialists through Telehealth
eHealth Association of Pakistan(eHAP)
COMSATS enjoys a strategic relationship and vibrant cooperation with eHAP. Despite no formal agreement, there are strong bonds of association between the two Organizations; COMSATS has been a founding member of eHAP based on a shared mandate to promote eHealth in Pakistan. COMSATS has been fully supporting eHAP in hosting its board meetings and organizing annual conferences and seminars. CTH is also contributing to the eHAP activities through its Tele-health team member as a board member of eHAP and who also served as the Vice-president of the association for two years.
Government of Azad Jammu-Kashmir- IT Board
Subsequent to a visit by the President, Azad state of the Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to CTH, COMSATS and the AJK IT Board entered into a collaborative arrangement to establish a number of Tele-health clinics in AJK, following the KPK model. In addition, a novel idea of launching a mobile Tele-health clinic is also being considered.
Human Development Foundation
COMSATS and HDF pioneered Tele-health in Baluchistan by establishing a Tele-clinic at Zhob with COMSATS arranging technical aspects and specialist doctors, while the HDF provided the operational and administrative setup. HDF, having presence in various communities through its health centres across Pakistan, signed an MoU with COMSATS to utilize CTH by interconnecting their centres among themselves as well as with COMSATS’ Tele-health resource centre.