From Connectivity to Care: Telecommunication as a catalyst in the healthcare ecosystem of Bangladesh
Arif Al Mannan :
Healthcare Landscape in Bangladesh
Imagine living in a quiet village of Bangladesh (such as Rangamati or Joypurhat), where a simple fever can quickly become overwhelming, not because of illness, but because of the long travel, crowded clinics and large expenses.
For millions of Bangladeshi families outside major cities, this remains a daily reality. With a population over 175 million (unfpa.org), two-thirds of which live in rural areas, and only seven doctors per 10,000 citizens (World Bank 2025), timely care often depends more on distance and affordability than on medical need and urgency. These realities have pushed Bangladesh to look for newer and more practical ways of receiving care, without the usual financial or physical barriers. Thus came the emergence of digital healthcare, bridging the existing gaps in public health.
In Bangladesh, accelerated by Covid-19, digital platforms like DocTime, Shukhee, MedEasy, Arogga, Oshudhpotro, Praava Health and Amar Lab brought online consultations, e-pharmacy and diagnostics to digitally savvy users (Brandpractitioners.com).
Yet, the rural and elderly populations, hindered by low digital literacy and adoption rate,were left behind. This gap in healthcare raises a crucial question: What will it take to make digital healthcare accessible not just to some of us, but to all of us?
A New Kind of Enabler
As Bangladesh pushes toward a more connected, digital future, it is becoming clear that one sector is uniquely positioned to bridge the healthcare divide: telecommunication operators. Their role goes far beyond selling SIM cards or mobile data as they have the infrastructure, trust and scale needed to make healthcare accessible and affordable for everyone.
How Telecom Operators Are Solving the Healthcare Access Problem
Telecoms are uniquely positioned to address the four main barriers that digital healthcare platforms face: limited reach, low awareness, lack of customer trust and affordability challenges, (thedailystar.net)
Through their nationwide digital and retail channels, telecom operators can introduce healthcare services within telecom apps, retail stores and customer-care touchpoints.
Retail stores present in the rural areas can act as support points for onboarding users while digital-savvy users can be onboarded through healthcare services provided through the digital app. In addition to ensuring healthcare access, telecom operators also ensure trust using their long-established brand equity and high rated telecom application (ranging from 4.4 to 4.7)
Telecom operators can also help enhance digital adoption among people by raising awareness through mass awareness campaigns.
Their ability to influence user behavior makes them well-placed to accelerate digital healthcare adoption. Affordable pricing can also be ensured through large-scale operations. This ability to make healthcare affordable is one of the strongest arguments for telecom-led intervention.
Global and National Examples
Around the world, telecom-health partnerships are proving highly effective. Airtel Nigeria and Mobihealth collaboratively deliver affordable nationwide teleconsultations and e-pharmacy services (thedailylives.com). Airtel India’s partnership with Apollo 24/7 (a digital health provider) gives millions of people access to digital healthcare benefits (airtel.in), while Reliance Jio’s JioHealthHub integrates teleconsultation and medical records directly into its ecosystem (india.com).
Bangladesh has also seen cases of success through telecom-enabled digital health solutions. For example, Health-Plus powered by Robi-Axiata offers health packages at as low as Tk. 2.67 (robi.com.bd)and Banglalink’s BL Care provides online video doctor consultation within 10 minutes of waiting time (Banglalink.net).
These examples show that telecom-driven healthcare models can increase access and affordability of healthcare.
A Structured Execution Strategy: A Replicable Telecom-Led Model
Telecom operators can scale digital healthcare nationwide by following a structured execution strategy built around four phases: Awareness, Conversion, Retention and Reinforcement. These are enabled through integrated digital, SME and retail channels, ensuring healthcare access and affordability.
Awareness & Consideration
Creating awareness should be done by building familiarity, trust and ensuring the availability of affordable healthcare. Telecom operators can promote low-cost healthcare services, such as discounted first online consultation, medicine delivery and affordable micro-insurance.
This should be promoted massively across high-traffic digital channels including social media, YouTube, Google and in-app banners in telecom apps.
Featuring prominent doctors in communication materials and highlighting authentic medicine certification help strengthen credibility.For users with low digital literacy, retailers and field agents can act as on-ground educators, using posters, leaflets and simple demonstrations to introduce digital healthcare services.
Conversion: Driving First-Time Usage
Affordable entry points are essential for converting awareness into action. Telecom operators can offer first-time consultation discounts and bundled health packs that combine consultations, micro-insurance and medicine discounts.
SME and retail field agents, who already visit households, community clusters and small businesses, can upsell these packs during routine telecom product visits.In retail stores, health services can be bundled with popular telecom offerings to increase conversion.
Retention: Strengthening Trust and Habit Formation
Once a user base is created,telecom operators can segment users by behavior, age or location to deliver targeted messages. This includes specialist doctor videos, follow-up reminders and seasonal health advice. Medicine discounts, repeat consultation offers and affordable combo packs encourage users to return to the platform.
SME and retail channels can also run periodic, time-bound campaigns for repeated usage as well.
Reinforcement: Building Long-Term Reliability
Long-term reliability comes from consistent value. Highlighting and promoting positive patient reviews, testimonials and real-life success stories help reinforce credibility.
Public-health initiatives, such as free consultations during dengue outbreaks or natural disasters, further demonstrate that digital healthcare is dependable and responsive during critical moments, solidifying user trust.
Measuring Impact Through the RE-AIM Framework
To measure the impact created we can use the globally recognized RE-AIM framework. It evaluates:Reach (whether the right target group is reached),Effectiveness (how well the service improves health),Adoption (whether users and partners embrace it),Implementation (how smoothly it operates) andMaintenance (long-term sustainability). The improvement is evaluated against these criteria (RE-AIM Framework).
Limitations
Despite the strong potential of telecom-enabled digital healthcare, several challenges still persist. Digital literacy and adoption remain low among rural and elderly users, limiting their ability to adopt app-based services.
Healthcare focus in telecom apps often receive less visibility than core telecom offerings, while SME and retail agents have limited time and incentives to prioritize healthcareproduct and creating awareness to customers.
Raising data privacy concerns regarding healthcare makes customers even more skeptical about using the service and it requires significant investment to makethe system secure.
Final Thoughts
In summary, Bangladesh has made significant progress in digital healthcare,but the journey is far from complete. While Telecom operators enabling healthcare has certain limitations, it can act as an effective enabler as well. The challenges of access, trust, awareness, and affordability can be solved byTelecom-intervention, ensuring healthcare for all.
(The writer is a Digital Healthcare enthusiast who has worked in Digital product and growth management for over 7 years in a leading telecommunication operator in Bangladesh. E-mail: [email protected])