Pakistan-based telehealth platform Educast has entered into an agreement with partners in Yemen to support the first-ever telemedicine and capacity-building network for doctors in the conflict-affected country. The project marks a major step in regional healthcare collaboration and digital innovation. It is being executed in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health-Yemen and the Social Fund for Development-Yemen, and is supported and funded by Islamic Development Bank-Jeddah and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom. Under the agreement, Educast will serve as the technical partner for the platform, enabling real-time consultations, training, and specialist support for Yemeni doctors.
According to Educast Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Butt, the initiative will link 25 remote health centres across five provinces — Abyan, Hadramaut, Shabwah, Al Mahrah, and Lahij — to a major tertiary care hospital in Aden via satellite connectivity. This network will provide Yemeni doctors with direct access to medical experts for consultations and guidance. Each centre will be equipped with portable telemedicine kits designed to transmit patient data and vitals in real time to doctors’ smartphones. Provincial telecentres will also include virtual training facilities, allowing local healthcare workers to participate in interactive sessions with medical specialists based in Pakistan. Dr Butt said this approach demonstrates how telemedicine can bridge access gaps in fragile states and conflict zones.
The initiative builds upon Educast’s earlier work in Afghanistan, where it operates telehealth education and clinical support services in 20 provinces, offering capacity-building and teleconsultation for local health professionals. Dr Butt highlighted that the platform has already delivered thousands of medical consultations during its pilot phase in Yemen, showing its viability for scaling up. A key feature of the project involves mobilising Pakistan’s female eDoctors — qualified but previously non-practising medical professionals — to provide remote services to underserved communities in Yemen through Educast’s digital infrastructure. This not only expands healthcare access in Yemen but also creates new opportunities for skilled Pakistani women to contribute to international health programmes.
Dr Butt also underscored the potential benefits for Pakistan’s own healthcare and digital economy. By enabling cross-border medical services, the country is positioning itself as a growing hub for telehealth and medical tourism. He said the latest partnership would scale the training of Yemeni doctors through live case mentoring and specialist consultation access via Educast’s secure telehealth systems. “As a Pakistan-based digital health platform, we are opening pathways for Yemenis and other regional patients to access care in Pakistan, setting the foundation for a stronger medical tourism economy,” he stated.
Beyond its humanitarian role, the initiative also offers significant economic potential. Dr Butt explained that Pakistan’s healthcare system delivers major cost advantages compared to other regional providers. Cardiac surgeries are available at 30 to 70 percent lower costs than in Western countries, while treatments such as infertility procedures are similarly affordable. Waiting times are shorter and services are culturally aligned, making Pakistan attractive for patients across the region. With appropriate policy reforms and continued mobilisation of female doctors, Pakistan has the potential to capture two to five percent of the global medical tourism market. This collaboration with Yemen highlights how telehealth and digital innovation can help deliver healthcare solutions while also creating new economic pathways for Pakistan.
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