Telemedan’s solar-powered kiosks allow people in rural Chad to consult doctors remotely through local facilities, reducing the need for costly journeys to larger towns. The initiative says it has 37 kiosks across 11 provinces and has reached an estimated 143,000 people.
The kiosks use solar panels, batteries, medical equipment and remote internet or satellite connections to bring basic consultations closer to communities with limited electricity, connectivity and access to doctors. Patients still need to travel when they require emergency treatment, specialist care, tests, medicines or hospital services.
How the kiosks work
A local operator registers each patient and records basic measurements with equipment such as blood-pressure monitors, glucometers, thermometers, pulse oximeters and electrocardiogram machines. A doctor then joins remotely on a screen while the operator assists with the examination.
Telemedan says some kiosks can also use stethoscopes, temperature sensors and, in certain locations, ultrasound equipment. Patient information can be stored locally and synchronised when connectivity returns. People without internet access can use a USSD service to book appointments and obtain health information.
Why distance matters
For rural residents, reaching medical care can involve transport, accommodation and other expenses in addition to the consultation. Abakar Mahamat, who launched Telemedan in 2021, said some journeys can cost $200 or more, while consultations through the initiative cost between $2 and $15 depending on the service.
Ache Kodo, a resident of Bitkine in central Chad, said the service meant she no longer had to save money for a trip to a larger town before seeing a doctor. Her experience reflects the problem Telemedan was designed to address: medical facilities and specialists are concentrated in larger towns and cities, leaving many communities far from basic services.
What the kiosks cannot replace
Remote consultations are not a substitute for a hospital or every form of in-person examination. Patients needing emergency treatment, laboratory tests, medicines, specialist care or hospital treatment must continue through the next level of the health system.
The model also depends on functioning equipment, available connectivity, trained local operators and doctors being available when patients call. Each kiosk costs about $10,000, according to Mahamat, and Telemedan sells units to governments, public health programmes and partner organisations that operate them; patients do not pay for the infrastructure itself.
Chad’s National Health Development Plan for 2022–2030 identifies digital health as a way to expand access, according to Youssouf Silay, an assistant to the coordinator of the country’s National Digital Health Programme. Chad established its National Telemedicine Programme in 2021 and launched the National Digital Health Programme in 2023, while the Ministry of Health is developing a legal and regulatory framework for digital health services.
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