Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal on Monday announced that the government will establish 10 more telemedicine centres in Pakistan in partnership with Sehat Kahani, aiming to widen technology-based care and ease pressure on public hospitals.
Speaking at a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony in Islamabad on 2 November, the minister for national health services, regulations and coordination said the deal would expand an existing telemedicine network. Telemedicine centres in Pakistan already number 10 from the first phase — six in Islamabad and four in Karachi — which he described as successfully completed.
How the new centres will work
Under the arrangement, the government will provide space and medicines at the centres, while Sehat Kahani will bear the doctors’ consultation fees. Kamal said 500 new doctors had been added to the telemedicine network, which lets patients seek medical advice remotely rather than travelling only to crowded hospital wards.
He told the ceremony that the first phase had already helped save about Rs70 million for the public in a short period after launch. The minister framed the project as part of a wider push to use technology so medical services are easier for ordinary people to reach.
Flagship site at PIMS and plans beyond the cities
Kamal also announced that Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art telemedicine centre would be set up at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) once its emergency department moves into a new building. That facility is meant to sit alongside the broader rollout of telemedicine centres in Pakistan under the Sehat Kahani partnership.
Looking further ahead, he said the government planned to extend the network to Gilgit-Baltistan and other areas so people in underserved regions could use remote consultations. He congratulated residents of Islamabad on the expansion and restated the government’s commitment to improving access to quality care through innovative solutions.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sarkar ne Sehat Kahani ke sath mil kar 10 naye telemedicine centres banane ka elaan kiya hai. Pehle se Islamabad aur Karachi mein 10 centres chal rahe hain, jahan door se doctor se mashwara milta hai. Is se hospitalon ka bojh kam hone ki umeed hai, aur government jagah aur dawaiyan degi jabke consultation fee Sehat Kahani uthaegi. Mustaqbil mein PIMS aur Gilgit-Baltistan jaise ilaaqon tak bhi yeh khidmat pahunchane ka plan hai.
