PTCL moves to widen digital healthcare reach

Ufone 4G, with Oladoc, to offer free consultations, discounted diagnostics and treatments for users

KARACHI: A subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) signed an agreement on September 9 with Oladoc, a digital healthcare platform, to facilitate its 4G subscribers nationwide in accessing medical consultations and related services.

According to a statement, Ufone 4G users will be able to use a designated application to connect with Oladoc’s network of more than 25,000 doctors and specialists. Services include free video consultations, in-clinic appointments, diagnostic tests, medicine delivery and selected surgeries at discounted rates.

The agreement, signed in Islamabad by PTCL Vice President (Marketing) Atta Ur Rahman Mir and Oladoc CEO Abid Zubairi, highlighted Pakistan’s healthcare imbalance, with most doctors concentrated in urban centres while 62 per cent of the population lives in rural areas. Primary facilities in many regions remain under-resourced, leaving families to travel long distances for basic medical needs.

By combining Ufone 4G’s nationwide reach with Oladoc’s service network, the partners aim to extend timely consultations and preventive care to underserved communities. Discounts ranging from 10 to 30 per cent will apply to appointments, tests, medicines and surgeries, the statement added.

--IV Desk

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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