The 45-year-old left her high-profile job in government health to pitch her app linking doctors and patients by video to investors. With face-to-face doctors’ appointments restricted due to contagion risks, Siddique’s company, connecting patients across Pakistan with doctors and pharmacies, was suddenly in demand. Siddique is one of a growing number of women in Pakistan who are defying conservative gender norms by jumping into the health tech industry. ‘LATE-NIGHT DEALS’From domestic violence to anxiety over job losses and grief of losing family members to Covid-19, requests for virtual appointments on ReliveNow, an online mental health care platform, surged during lockdowns. “It has been extremely difficult to find investors,” she said, adding that the absence of a mental health authority exacerbates the problem of legitimacy.

Source: Pakistan Today April 28, 2022 18:17 UTC