Healthcare Champion: Dr. Jisan

Dr. Jisan (left) and Dr. Mikolajczyk (on the device screen) use the telehealth device to collaborate on patient care.

Each of World Telehealth Initiative’s programs has a champion partner physician whose dedication to expanding healthcare access makes the program possible. One of our program champions at HOPE Hospital in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh is Dr. Tanbin Hosen Jisan. Every day, Dr. Jisan is working hard to make his community a healthier place by serving patients in need, for free.

One patient Dr. Jisan recently treated is Rehana, a 45 year old woman from one of Cox’s Bazar’s under-privileged villages. When she became ill, she visited another local hospital, but they couldn’t provide the testing or medical exam she needed because she couldn’t afford to pay. They gave her some medication, but her condition didn’t improve.

She then came to HOPE Hospital, where Dr. Jisan evaluated her and scheduled a telehealth consultation through World Telehealth Initiative. Dr. Dorota Mikolajczyk is a family medicine physician who regularly supports HOPE with patients who would benefit from her expertise. Dr. Jisan performed some testing on Rehana, and worked together with Dr. Mikolajczyk to diagnose her. They gave her some antibiotics and other medication. She came back in for a follow up appointment feeling much better and was so happy. She told Dr. Jisan that she was grateful to him, the hospital, and Dr. Mikolajczyk for providing her with quality healthcare for free. She had visited various hospitals before coming to HOPE, and none of them could give her the medical testing she needed.

Rehana has turned into an ambassador for HOPE Hospital and the World Telehealth Initiative program there, spreading the word about the free specialized health services and telehealth consults to her friends, family and neighbors. There are lots of people in her community who cannot get proper healthcare because of the cost. She is sending them to HOPE Hospital and Dr. Jisan for the care they need.

Dr. Jisan has treated countless patients like Rehana. He helps patients access the specialized healthcare they need by working together with specialists from around the globe through the World Telehealth Initiative program at HOPE. Dr. Jisan shares that “people of the locality are definitely benefitting from the telehealth program. They can have an excellent consultation and some experienced consultants from abroad, with zero cost. It is a great opportunity for the people.”

The program does not only benefit the patients, but also provides an opportunity for physicians across the world to collaborate. Dr. Jisan shares that “this is a tremendous opportunity for a doctor like me. Young physicians like me can achieve a lot of knowledge from working together with the consultants from abroad. Our knowledge level is increasing day by day. Definitely, the telehealth program is excellent and very helpful.” The program is also beneficial for supporting specialists like Dr. Mikolajczyk. She thoroughly enjoys collaborating with physicians at HOPE, like Dr. Jisan, and learning more about healthcare in different areas of the world. She describes the telehealth consults as “purely stimulating”.

Since Dr. Jisan started his position as Telemedicine Coordinator at HOPE, he has provided free quality healthcare for hundreds of patients. World Telehealth Initiative is grateful to partner with physicians like Dr. Jisan who are so committed to ensuring their communities have specialized healthcare close to home.

With the success of our programs with HOPE Foundation, World Telehealth Initiative is expanding to two more HOPE health centers in Bangladesh. Stay tuned for more information on our new programs coming soon. We look forward to growing our partnership with HOPE to serve more patients in need.