Myanmar’s ‘first’ telemedicine service launched

The telemedicine service complements the existing mobile clinics project which provides access to health care services from trained professionals in communities with limited or no access to care. 
Ooredoo-Pact mobile clinics, which have been in operation since February 2015, provide health services once every six weeks in each target village. Hence, the telemedicine service plays a vital role in bridging the gap between these clinic visits, ensuring continuity of contact between patients and doctors to provide informative referral services.
Trained health care volunteers use mobile devices connected to the Ooredoo network to facilitate consultations between patients and doctors. This service helps hard to reach communities to provide opportunity to consult with doctor and receive first line support from a distance, enabling patients to seek care on a timely basic, thus mitigating the potential complications that may develop from delayed access to care for treatable ailments.
Ooredoo also provides a mobile alert service which helps to increase awareness of the availability of free and accessible healthcare services through a network of direct alert recipients who in turn share this information word-of-mouth with their family, friends, and neighbours.
Chris Peirce, chief legal and regulatory officer of Ooredoo Myanmar, said: “As a telecom operator in Myanmar, we are passionate about the ability of our technology to enable human growth in the communities we operate in. And we also want to become an integral part of the nation’s daily life.
‘Therefore, we partner with Pact Myanmar to provide fund for mobile clinic services and now Telemedicine services by using our telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical consultations from a distance. This waves burdens of transportation difficulties, high costs for the villagers to access health facilities to get basic healthcare services.”
The Mobile Health Clinic project provides access to basic health care, maternal and child care, and child nutrition services through two mobile clinics in Madaya Township, central Myanmar. Pact mobile clinic teams travel to 48 cluster village clinical sites, covering 110 villages and a population of 80,000 people, to provide primary healthcare services.
The telemedicine services are being highlighted in 15 villages In Madaya Township - Ah Nyar Kaing, Boe Gyi Kyun, Koe Pin, Kyar, Mway Pu Thein, Mya Thi Dar, Myin See, Aye Thar Yar, Shar Say Chat, Sin Kyun, Te Kone, Aung Chan Thar, Yae Chaung Bo, Ywar Tan Shey A and Zay Haung.