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Sehat First

E-Health Consulting through Franchised Centers

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A new patient is evaluated at Sehat First's Chashma Village Center clinic.

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The Challenge
  • With nearly three-quarters of Pakistan's population living on $2 a day or less in rural areas, there is a strong need for access to affordable healthcare.
  • In geographically dispersed low-income communities, quality healthcare services are limited. Healthcare facilities are concentrated in urban areas. The few doctors and publicly funded health centers that exist are often non-functional due to shortages of quality staff and lack of funding.
  • There is a scarcity of physicians in Pakistan, with only 74 physicians per 100,000 people. The situation is compounded by factors such as a lack of quality specialists, delays in the administration of proper treatment and unavailability of appropriate medications.
The Innovation
  • Sehat First ('Health First') offers affordable basic healthcare and pharmaceutical services to low-income communities through franchised tele-health centers.
  • This franchised network of outlets is connected online to provide consulting services using web-based software, offering tele-consulting services via an e-sehat application that remotely links up patients with doctors and specialists.
  • With Acumen Fund's “patient” capital investment during its pilot phase, Sehat First has opened up three retail outlets in the semi-urban areas of Karachi.
The Impact
  • Sehat First is the first significant attempt to establish a retail healthcare franchise to serve low-income communities in Pakistan.
  • Currently in its pilot phase, Sehat First has already established three self-sustaining centers that have served over 2,000 patients in the first year.
  • Sehat First aims to set up 200 health centers across Pakistan by 2012, providing affordable and accessible basic health services where there is a critical lack of physicians and healthcare facilities.