Telemedicine organization Sehat Kahani has raised $ 1 million from leading global investors for expansion thier business across the Pakistan. This firm was established in 2017 by two entrepreneurs, Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram and Dr. Iffat Zafar Aga.
Sehat Kahani connects doctors from home with patients in disadvantaged parts of the country using a telemedicine solution from e-health clinics and a mobile application.
Investors include the Islamic Development Bank, 10Pearls Ventures, Mentor’s Fund, Korean Impact Collective Funds and Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), KASB and Din Group in Pakistan.
Sehat Kahani announced the news Monday at an event at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi.
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Information Minister Aminul Haque, SBP Governor Reza Baqir, MNA Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and people from the banking, pharmaceutical, insurance and other sectors attended the event.
Mr. Governor State Bank of Pakistan @rezabaqir , we are absolutely humbled by you gracing our event – Million $ Affair with your presence. You inspired us today by sharing your thoughts & plans laid down for supporting women in the Tech Industry. @SaraSKhurram pic.twitter.com/RleRB2jnbT
— Sehat Kahani (@SehatKahani) March 15, 2021
“There is only one doctor for every 1,700 people in Pakistan,” said Dr. Iffat Zafar, co-founder and CEO of Sehat Kahani. “Here comes Sehat Kahani to fill the void.”
Qatar has the highest number of doctors per population with 77.4 doctors per population of 10,000 people.
Pakistan only has about 7 doctors per capita 10,000, one of the lowest in the world. Dr. Zafar said only 23% of female doctors actively exercise.
She derives this number based on permits issued by the Pakistan Medical Commission. About 12% of male practitioners also leave Pakistan.
There are two vertical sides of Sehat Kahani. Start-up has set up 35 e-health clinics across Pakistan, mainly in disadvantaged communities, where a nurse connects patients with general practitioners and specialists.
There is also a mobile app that allows patients and doctors to connect directly with each other. Sehat Kahani shares 60% of sales with doctors on its platforms.
The mobile app is based on both a B2B (business-to-business) model, where companies give their employees access to the healthcare system, and a B2C (business-to-consumer) model, where the mass market goes online and has access to services.
Major clients include 51 companies such as Meezan Bank, Abbott and Roche. Sehat Kahani recently signed an agreement with Jubilee Insurance to provide online OPD service to more than 700 companies.
“It’s very encouraging to see female entrepreneurs evolving in technology,” says Aminul Haque. “I would like more events like this where women-led organizations make foreign investments in Pakistan.”
Dr. Reza Baqir congratulated Sehat Kahani on this achievement. “This should be a case study for many other female entrepreneurs that gender should never be an obstacle to success.”
Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram said investor confidence further reflects the tremendous success of Sehat Kahani, which has seen only 425% growth in the past 12 months.
Changseong Ho, founder of The Ventures, said he was very excited to invest in and support Sehat Kahani. “Sehat Kahani is having a huge impact on new markets through telemedicine in a very creative and scalable way,” said Ho. “We look forward to being part of their journey.”
