In rural Chad, solar kiosks bring healthcare closer

Bitkine, Chad – For Ache Kodo, seeing a doctor once meant saving money for the journey.Living in Bitkine, in central Chad, she said a medical visit could mean paying for transport, the consultation and other costs of travelling to a larger town.Now, she can consult a doctor remotely through a Telemedan kiosk closer to home.“Telemedan changed how my family accessed healthcare services,” Ache told Al Jazeera. “It was difficult before, as it involved me saving money to travel just to see a doctor. Now I’m able to do it on time with fewer costs from where I am. It has also enhanced my economic status.”For people in rural Chad, distance can be as much of a barrier to healthcare as the shortage of doctors themselves. Medical facilities and specialists are concentrated in larger towns and cities, leaving many communities far from basic services.Abakar Mahamat grew up with that reality.A patient uses a Telemedan kiosk in rural Chad to access healthcare remotely, with the solar-powered facility helping overcome distance and limited medical services [Yahuza Bawage/ Al Jazeera]“The problem wasn’t only the lack of doctors,” he said. “It was also the distance between those doctors and the commu...