Teledermatology in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan like other developing countries is facing problems in addressing the issues of availability of health care services to its growing population, which is concentrated in the villages and remote areas. On the contrary, telecommunication connectivity all over the country improved remarkably in the last decade. In this scenario, telemedicine can be utilized to provide health care to the remote and underserved areas. Telemedicine has also played a major role in bridging the gap between primary and tertiary health care facilities during disaster relief operations. Dermatology is undoubtedly the most suitable specialty for telemedicine. Therefore, teledermatology has been an integral part of various telemedicine projects and networks in Pakistan. However, to meet the challenge of integrating teledermatology into the current health care system of the country, major issues need to be addressed.