Jaroka Tele-Health wins mBillionth Award; Sets up Medical Relief Camp for Flood Victims

Congratulations to Atif Mumtaz, Digital Vision colleague. At a ceremony organized in New Delhi by its convener, Digital Empowerment Foundation, and sponsored by India's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, OnMobile, and Intel among others, Jaroka Tele-health was presented the mBillionth award 2010 in the m-Health category. "We are now in a world where technology is capable of anything; from allowing physicians to review patient records on-the-go, to alert drivers in any city of nearby parking spaces while looking for spot, to surfing the Internet and watching movies; and what better way to celebrate it than this award for innovation in health and technology."

The Jaroka project was honored for its interactive interfaces, innovative design, aesthetic value, accessibility and most of all it’s relevance of content and utility value. Atif developed and refined a tele-health project during his Stanford fellowship and today the Jaroka Tele-health project treats over 50,000 patients in rural Pakistan each year. 90% of the patients earn less than dollar a day and live below the poverty line.
I also heard from Atif that UM Healthcare Trust has established one of the first regular medical clinics for flood victims at the edge of the flood waters in Noshehra District, NWFP, Pakistan. "Manned by our qualified staff of medical doctors, nurses, and medical technicians, we have started treating flood victims who total in millions and are waiting for aid to reach them despite the ordeal being almost a week old. We urgently require medicines to treat the influx of patients."
The mBillionth Award is dedicated to exploring the potential of the mobile sector and promoting game changing applications all across South Asia. The mBillionth secretariat at Digital Empowerment Foundation, New Delhi reached out to the entire South Asia region to solicit nominations across 10 categories: Business, Health, Education, Culture & Heritage, Government, Entertainment, Inclusion, Environment, Tourism, & News and Travel. The Grand Jury of the mBillionth South Asia Award reviewed more than 200 entries hailing from 8 South Asian countries, and chose 1-2 winners from each category.
Jaroka Tele-health is a joint collaboration between UM Healthcare  The project has attracted significant funding from USAID and ISIF Foundation. For more information, or to donate contact: UM Healthcare Trust, Established 2004; Dedicated to Providing Healthcare for the Rural Communities.
Offices in: Islamabad, Pakistan & Washington DC, USA
USA: +1 415 894 9506 PAK: +92-51 210 6304