The eHealth Association of Pakistan (eHAP) is a non-profit organization which aims to share and enhance knowledge and advocate policy support for broader implementation of eHealth programs across Pakistan by bringing together eHealth experts and other stakeholders from different parts of Pakistan on one platform.

1. History:
A joint meeting of experts in Telehealth (Telemedicine) and technology use for health information management and learning was held at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on November 27, 2008. This group announced the formation of the eHealth Association Pakistan (eHAP). The structure and philosophy of this group was finalized in its Board Meeting on February 25, 2009 at Aga Khan University, Karachi and COMSATS Headquarters, Islamabad simultaneously via videoconferencing. The initial structuring of eHAP was facilitated by Aga Khan University, Karachi with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Founding members of the eHealth Association of Pakistan Picture taken on November 27, 2008

2. Vision and Mission:

eHAP's Mission:

"To promote adoption and use of eHealth as an integral component of health services and education in Pakistan, through advocacy, evidence, access to recognized experts and resources, policy-support and capacity-building."

3. National Affiliations of eHAP:
eHAP serve as a forum for the collection, exchange and dissemination of information related to eHealth and it works, cooperates and acts as a liaison with other organizations, institutions, governments, governmental organizations, individuals, societies and corporations involved or concerned with the development and implementation of eHealth activities and health care health care services in Pakistan. eHAP has 14 Institutional Members which includes Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, COMSATS Islamabad, Holy Family Hospital Rawapindi, Sehat First, Heart File, GIZ, Shifa Medical College Islamabad, Internatonal Organization of Migration, College of Family Medicine, Aga Khan Health Services, Pakistan, Aman Foundation and Aga Khan University Karachi.

4. International Affiliations of eHAP:
eHAP is also the National representative member of the two international societies in Telehealth/Telemedicien and Health Informatics i.e. International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH) and International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) respectively.  These recognitions allow eHAP to build partnerships with other Associations/Societies who are also respective National members around the world. eHAP has also recently signed an MoU with American Telemedicine Association at Tampa Florida.

5. Seminars and eHealth Awareness sessions:
eHAP board members conducted several seminars in educational institutions of the country to create awareness about eHealth and to attract institutional members. These seminars were conducted in the cities of Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Larkana and other cities. More seminars are scheduled in the coming months.

5.1 International eHealth Conferences:

5.1.1 First International eHealth Conference:

eHealth Association of Pakistan organized its first International eHealth Conference “Better Health for all through eHealth” at the Aga khan University, Karachi on January 23-24, 2010. The conference was telecasted live at the National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad. The conference attracted stakeholders from the Ministries of Health and Information Technology, National and International development organizations, Health care institutions, Academic institutions in Health, engineering and Telecommunication, and students from a variety of disciplines. Several keynote addresses, scientific sessions, workshops and panel discussions were arranged to provide opportunity to the experts, researchers, and participants to share their views. For conference recommendations.

5.1.2 Second International eHealth Conference:

eHealth Association of Pakistan organized its Second International eHealth Conference “eHealth and the Road to the Millennium Development Goals” at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan on January 22-23, 2011. The conference was telecasted live at the Aga Khan University, Karachi. This Conference was a unique feature in Pakistan, allowing healthcare providers, allied health professionals, IT experts, telecommunication companies, managers, and educational institutions in health, biomedical and IT fields to reflect on ways to collaborate for improving health of the population. For conference recommendations.

5.2 eHAP Workshops:

Considering the growing demand of eHealth, a two-day Knowledge Sharing Workshop “eHealth Knowledge Sharing workshop”, was organized by eHealth Association of Pakistan (eHAP) in collaboration with LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka on September 29-30, 2010 at Islamabad Club, Islamabad, PAkistan. The purpose of the workshop was to share and compare the findings of eHealth initiatives in Pakistan and other South East Asian countries. The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Health and IT, public and private healthcare institutions, NGOs and academic institutions.

• Built a membership base of over 300 individuals across Pakistan
• Developed short course in Tele-Health, Health Informatics and eLearning.
• Providing access to eHealth literature and resources.
• Working with Ministry of Health to develop eHealth strategy for Pakistan.

5.4  3rd International eHealth Conference:

According to the World Health Organization, "eHealth is the cost-effective and secure use of information and communications technologies in support of health and health-related fields, including health-care services, health surveillance, health literature, and health education, knowledge and research". The 58th World Health Assembly eHealth Resolution (WHA58/28) URGES Member States:

(1) to consider drawing up a long-term strategic plan for developing and implementing eHealth services in the various areas of the health sector,including health administration, which would include an appropriate legal framework and infrastructure and encourage public and private partnerships;

(2) to develop the infrastructure for information and communication technologies in respective countries
Countries around the world are turning to eHealth to enhance service delivery in every aspect of life. Developing countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Rwanda have taken bold steps towards revolutionizing their Health Sector with use of eHealth. Pakistan has built experience with eHealth applications, but requires commitment and direction from all the stakeholders to move this forward.  The efforts for development of a National eHealth strategy come at an important time when Pakistan is developing its new Health Policy.   The Conference will build understanding on the importance of eHealth strategy, and suggest a roadmap to achieve this endeavor by sharing the knowledge and experience of eHealth experts and researchers.

This year eHAP is inviting two categories of papers;

1) Scientific papers

2) Commission papers