Telemedicine’s:
Our Approach and Methodology
Ongoing conflict and frequent disasters in Afghanistan contribute to waves of population displacement, mass casualty incidents and outbreaks of communicable diseases leading to disruption of the health system that is already overburdened. The unstable context has put considerable strain on the already fragile and under-resourced health system.
Recognizing the geographical situation and the limited human and infrastructure resources, the use of telemedicine appears to be an adequate means of reaching the population in areas that are difficult to access. Therefore, HEALTHO with the technical and financial support of ADAV started Telemedicine Services in Six Provinces (Helmand, Kunduz, Balkh, Badakhshan, Sar-Pul & Ghazni).
HEALTHO aims to extend the telemedicine services to most parts of Afghanistan through use of most updated and advance technology.
HEALTHO Telemedicine program includes;
- Tele-consultation,
- Tele-diagnostics,
- E-learning of medical education for students of medical universities in Kabul, Balkh and Herat provinces
The telemedicine services will help to overcome geographic and security-related inaccessibility and thus contribute to improved care in remote areas across the country. The establishment of a tele-medical network will contribute to strengthening the public capacity in the health sector.
Telemedicine Services are needed in Afghanistan due to the following reasons;
- Limited technical capacity in human capital
- Inadequate financing for key health programs
- Lack of access to health due to dispersed population, geographical barriers, and lack of transportation infrastructure
- Poor quality of health and social services
- Lack of security for successful implementation of programs
- Lack of mechanisms for effective regulation of for‐profit private sector clinics and pharmacies
- Health financing system inefficiently managed and limited coverage
- Health information system poorly developed
Telemedicine in Six Provinces of Afghanistan (10th February 2018 to 31st December 2018)
HEALTHO implemented the Telemedicine Project (Pilot Phase) in six provinces
Medical Education through E-Learning in Kabul and Mazar-i-Shairf Provinces, Afghanistan (August 2017 to September 2019)
The project focused on growing up the capacity of the
BLS and EMT Training for Women in Kabul Province (Nov 15, 2018 till July 31, 2019)
Under this project HEALTHO trained 90 women in Basic Life