John Kuner: Good News From Pakistan

Guest Post by John Kuner John Kuner heads up Tonic Events.

I'm always amazed how small the world is. I logged onto Skype yesterday afternoon and got a surprise message from my friend Atif in Pakistan. He was also a Digital Vision Fellow at Stanford, and after exchanging pleasantries he gave me an update about his project.

UM Healthcare Trust has several components, but the really interesting one is called Jaroka, which connects healthcare workers in remote hospitals with experts in big cities around the world. They are using low-end computers to connect via IM, SMS, and MMS, so medical staffs can handle simple services and even more complicated dermatology, cardiology and radiology procedures. This project is still in development, but from what I saw, it seemed like a great way to use a little technology to make a big difference!

The first project, which was recently completed, was to build a healthcare center and mini-hospital about 110 miles north of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The hospital charges fees on a sliding scale, so those who can afford to pay subsidize those who can't — a great example of social enterprise.

It was great for me to hear something positive and personal about southeast Asia, especially in the wake of so much bad news there. Now I have something good to talk about next time I plan a dinner party with Tonic Events.