Pathao has released “Pathao Health,” a new tool to connect people to health resources, in collaboration with partner health organizations.
Hospital visits have substantially declined since the first coronavirus case was recorded in Bangladesh on March 8. Many physicians stopped meeting patients in person due to a lack of protective gear, and finally, the transport system was shut down on March 26.
Through our efforts, patients can access credible information and health services without leaving their homes, which also reduces the chances of coronavirus transmission.
As of today, users can do four things:
1. Have their symptoms checked. For example, there is a dedicated Corona Checker bot that asks you a series of questions analyzing your previous health records, diseases, and age -- at the end it shares a result and suggests appropriate next steps.
Users who are identified as higher risk are recommended to contact the government’s Covid-19 health lines 333 and 16263.
Our partner Digital Health has developed this system under the guideline of WHO, NHS, DGHS, and IEDCR. Further, DH has launched “Corona Insurance,” which will provide Tk2,000 if the coronavirus test result comes out positive -- leading to home isolation -- Tk5,000 upon hospitalization due to coronavirus, and also provide Tk20,000 in cash as life insurance coverage.
Digital Health is a Grameen social business; the 100,000 free insurance policies against coronavirus will be sponsored by Grameen Telecom Trust.
Both the symptom checker and “Corona Insurance” are designed to help reduce public anxiety at this critical time and reduce the financial impact of the crisis on families and wage earners.
2. Get credible information about important health topics like pregnancy, nutrition, skincare, and so on. Users will be able to ask questions about physical and mental health concerns and get answers from certified doctors and mental health specialists.
Our partner Maya has served millions of users and has qualified physicians answering these queries. We believe that by bridging the information gap, we can provide some relief during this time.
3. Book video consultations with highly-rated doctors and even have samples for tests collected from your home. Our partner Praava is offering video consultations for all types of patients, including those with existing and chronic conditions that need to be managed during this time.
Video consultations will follow the same protocols as an in-person visit, including the time allotment of at least 15 minutes.
After the video consultation, follow-up instructions will be emailed to them, including any prescriptions that may be required.
4. Order medicine online. In the past few weeks, Pathao has delivered thousands of over-the-counter medicines (which does not require a prescription) to customers at home. There are more than 100 pharmacies listed on Pathao as of today, actively serving in Dhaka and Chittagong.
In the near future, through a partnership with Tamanna Pharmacy, Pathao will deliver prescription drugs while abiding by DGDA guidelines.
The collaboration of Bangladeshi start-ups
Our country is passing through an unprecedented crisis, and this requires prompt remedial actions. To support the healthcare infrastructure and bolster the monitoring system with tech-enabled innovations, Bangladeshi start-ups need to be closely working with authorities at central, state, and district levels.
For the first time, we’re seeing the Bangladeshi start-up ecosystem come together to provide contemporary solutions for the wider community. Previously, each of these companies operated in a particular niche. Now, they are coming together to pool their resources and towards the maximum public good.
An example of this type of collaboration was Mission Save Bangladesh, which saw start-ups like Sheba and Pathao, as well as organizations like the Daily Star, Samakal, IPDC, Arla, and many others, come together for the common good.
With Pathao Health, we wanted to harness the power of our healthcare partners and expand their reach to our user base. It doesn’t make sense to reinvent the wheel each time. We would rather have good partnerships and solve the underlying problem.
Digital Health, previously known as Telenor Health, has worked with healthcare insurance products for years. Maya has served millions of customer queries. Praava provides access to trusted physicians. Our partners are highly credible and we respect their expertise.
With 6 million downloads and a nationwide userbase, we can help expand the reach of our healthcare partners, and enable access to preventive healthcare solutions for users.
Digital Bangladesh and the need for digital healthcare
Bangladesh is the ninth largest mobile market in terms of the number of subscribers in the world. The total unique mobile phone subscriber count in the country stands at 85 million, which means 51% penetration (GSMA, 2017).
What does all this mean? Bangladesh is a mobile-first country. We have leapfrogged the desktop era and are increasingly consuming services through mobile internet.
As such, digital healthcare is not a question mark but an inevitability. The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated us toward that path.
Our government understands that Digital Bangladesh needs digital healthcare.
Through close cooperation and collaboration with partner health organizations and the government, we hope to harness the power of technology to help people with access to health information and services during these trying times.
All of us at Pathao and our partners believe that there has never been a more important moment to work together than these extraordinary times faced by our country.
Ahmed Fahad is the Vice President and Head of Product at Pathao.
