DUHS launches digital initiative to reintegrate inactive female doctors

Second phase of eDoctor programme aims to engage over 30,000 licensed but inactive women doctors through telemedicine training and virtual clinical practice.

KARACHI: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has launched an initiative under its ongoing online training programmes to motivate and reintegrate thousands of non-practicing female doctors into the medical workforce.

This development was shared by various experts associated with the scheme, including Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jehan Ara Hassan, at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club.

The speakers noted that 60% of female medical degree holders were currently employed across the country, while another 20% were actively seeking jobs. The training programme—now in its second phase—leverages telemedicine to reach the remaining 20% of qualified female doctors who have remained inactive due to social, familial, or logistical barriers, they added.

According to a statement issued during the briefing, the first phase of the project—eDoctor—was launched in 2018 in response to the national need to reclaim over 30,000 licensed but inactive female doctors. Through a self-paced, digitally enabled certification programme developed in partnership with Lecturio (Germany) and Digital Medic (Stanford University), the initiative successfully trained 1,500 doctors.

The new phase, eDoctor 2.0, aims to revive the careers of out-of-practice Pakistani female doctors. This phase has secured financial support from the Islamic Development Bank, while NGO Educast will assist with technical and financial implementation under the supervision of DUHS faculty.

Speakers expressed hope that the enhanced training programme—covering clinical practice and telemedicine, hands-on clinical observation, virtual clinics, and integration into national health initiatives such as elder care, polio eradication, maternal and child health, and rural telehealth—will empower motivated female doctors, particularly in rural areas, to establish their own clinical outlets and serve underprivileged communities.

DUHS Acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Jehan Ara Hassan, who led the press conference, described the initiative as a movement to empower Pakistani women doctors through “technology, purpose, and dignity”.

“With eDoctor 2.0, we are giving them a toolkit to reclaim their profession and serve their people,” she said mentioning that future participants may be allowed to use DUHS pharmacies and laboratory collection points as patient contact facilities.

Educast CEO Abdullah Butt remarked that the programme represents “what modern, resilient, and inclusive healthcare should look like”, adding that his organisation was proud to serve as the digital backbone of the transformative initiative.

Members of the academic team supporting the telemedicine-based training programme—Prof Dr Asima Faisal, Prof Dr Sumbul Shamim, Dr Anum Arshad Baig, Dr Mariam Fatima, and Dr Ayesha Butt—also spoke on the occasion.

--News report/Social Track, Karachi (May 30, 2025)

 

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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