A patient can consult their doctors in only ten minutes. It is an impressive accomplishment in a nation like Bangladesh where waiting times at the doctor's office are infamously long. However, this was a feature rather than an anomaly.
This quick service was not provided by a hospital with a well-known name. This was Aalo clinic of the capital's Karail slum area. Although it was initially intended to serve 30,000–35,000 residents of slums, the clinic now provides quality treatments based on digital technology to about 1,40,000 residents of slums and other places, living up to its name—aalo, which means light. The fact that the patients receive this treatment for no charge makes it more appealing. Patients not only save time, but also money on pricey medical expenses.
Aalo Clinic is a two-year pilot project that offers free medical treatment to city residents. It is financed by Swedish Sida and has technical assistance from Unicef. There are plans in place to integrate this Aalo Clinic concept within the health ministry's Urban Health Care division.
