Marketing Healthcare Services in Afghanistan

i
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING of
HEALTHCARE SERVICES in
AFGHANISTAN
Submitted in Partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of
MASTERS OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES (MMS)
Submitted to
SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
Nerul, Navi Mumbai
Submitted by
KHOT NAVMEEN IKHLAK
Roll No- 86
Specialization- Marketing
2014-16

iii
Declaration
I, Ms. Khot Navmeen Ikhlak, studying in the second year of Masters of Management
Studies at SIES College of Management Studies, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, hereby declare that I
have completed the Summer Internship Project titled “International Marketing of Healthcare
Services In Afghanistan” at GlobalSpace Healthcare Technologies- MedicoExperts as a part
of the course requirements for Masters of Management Studies.
I also declare that the work undertaken by me is original and has not been copied from
any sources. I further declare that the information presented in this project is true and original
knowledge and has not been submitted to SIESCOMS or any other Institute for any other
examination.
Signature of the Student
Date:
Name of the Student: Ms. Khot Navmeen Ikhlak
Roll No.: 86

iv
Certificate by the Company Guide

v
Certificate by the Faculty Project Guide
This is to certify that Ms. Khot Navmeen Ikhlak, studying in the second year of
Masters of Management Studies at SIES College of Management Studies, Nerul, Navi
Mumbai, has completed the Summer Internship Project titled “International Marketing of
Healthcare Services In Afghanistan”, as a part of the course requirements for Masters of
Management Studies.
Signature of the Faculty Guide
Name: Prof. Vatsala Bose
Date:

vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is really a matter of pleasure for me to express my gratitude to thank all those who
have contributed directly or indirectly for the successful completion of the project report,
‘International Marketing of Healthcare Services in Afghanistan’.
I would like to thank Mr. Dhiraj Sharma, Director, MedicoExperts, firstly for giving me
permission to carry out the internship in the office. I am also very grateful to Mr. Uday Reddy
for his continuous help and support inspite of the busy schedule. They guided me very well
throughout the project. They were always there to meet and talk about my ideas and findings.
They provided me with their assistance and support whenever needed, which has been
instrumental in completion of this project. I would like to extend a special thanks to my
teammate and friend Mr. Rahul Gurjar for being a great support throughout the internship
tenure.
I would like to thank my institute guide, Prof. Vatsala Bose. I am greatly indebted to
her for the continuous guidance and support during this project. Last but not the least I am
grateful to all the staff members of MedicoExperts for their kind cooperation and help during
the course of my project.
Khot Navmeen I.

vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
While there are various predictions on the actual size of the Medical Tourism
market, there are clear Better health is central to human happiness and well-being. It also
makes an important contribution to economic progress, as healthy populations live longer, are
more productive, and save more. Many factors influence health status and a country's ability
to provide quality health services for its people. Fortunately, technology makes it easier to
prevent, detect and treat non-communicable diseases. With the development of electronic
health records, remote treatment, and the ability to share data online, we have an array of new
healthcare solutions available, even in low-income settings.
With the advent of globalisation, the world has shrunk into a global village. Countries
now appear closer than they have ever been. The concept of ‘medical tourism’ was devised to
help global citizens enjoy their tourist sojourns while under cost-effective, world-class quality
medical care. These days it seems like every country in the world promotes itself as a haven
for medical tourism. The reality is that in most cases they offer sub-standard facilities and
limited skills/qualifications.
India has tens of thousands of skilled physicians and nurse practitioners. Over the
last two decades, the economic boom in India has led to the building of medical facilities
and infrastructure that rival the very best that western medical care that the west has to
offer.
Medical tourism market in India is estimated to be valued at $ 4 billion. Health
care tourism has been a key growth sector for more than a decade. Growing insurance
market, strong pharmaceutical industry, cheap international travel, and quality health care are
increasingly making India a preferred tourist destination. This means that there are pockets
of individuals interested in, or with effective incentives to explore medical care abroad. As
such, general marketing may be a way to increase awareness of India, but general marketing
may not be the most effective way to reach the minds of persons with the strongest incentives
to pursue medical treatment abroad.

viii
Global Space Healthcare Technologies provides Online Video Consultation and Medical
Tourism facilities. Medico-Experts is a brand launched by Global Space Healthcare
Technologies which is a is a cloud based end to end telemedicine platform that connects the
patients from any part of the world with the best class doctors of our world class partner
hospitals for online Video Consultation. The patient & the Doctor avail a near face to face
consulting experience through high-definition Video Conferencing and online content sharing
over the state-of-the-art cloud computing platform. Hence they are building up an extensive
network of “MedicoExperts” Connect Center in different countries.
The Summer Internship Project was an extensive one which included a research about all
the necessary factors required to foray into a new territory for the company (Afghanistan) and
the analysis of the Healthcare Scenario in Afghanistan. Data about various Healthcare
programmes in Afghanistan, Prominent diseases, Doctor Density, Connection problems if
any, cultural differences, Demographics, Technology friendly or not, Healthcare Laws,
internet and media penetration was collaborated using secondary data sources and
telephonic conversations. Major cities like Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar were
geographically segmented selected and studied for market analysis. Primary Research was
done on call by asking various people in the medical fraternity in Afghanistan about the
doctor details, hospitals and clinic details in the major cities. The details on the consultation
fees charged by the doctors in Afghanistan were also collected.
Overall all the ground work was done to analyse and determine the acceptance and need
of the video consultation and the Medico Expert Connect Center concept in Afghanistan. This
was followed by cold calls to the doctors and converting the cold calls into Hot Leads. The
ultimate goal was to establish Channel Partners and Tie-ups with the Afghan Hospitals and
Doctors with a special emphasis on private practitioners etc as Medico Expert Connect
Centres.
After completion of the background research on the particular area (Afghanistan) different
target segments were identified. Different prospects were pitched with the 3 different business
models of MedicoExperts: Referral Partner (RP), Business Development Partner (BDP) and
Medico Expert Connect Centers (MECC’s) accordingly.

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Sr.
No.
TOPIC Page No.
1
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
 Company Overview
 About Clients
 Background of the project
 Scope of the project
 Objectives
 Methodology
 Purpose
 Limitations
1-14
2
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
 Concept of Online Video Consultation
 Related News
 Research Papers
15-21
3 Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY
 Research Objective
22
4
Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS
 Background study of Afghanistan
 Identification of Target Segments
 Elevator Pitch and Closures
 Application of Marketing Concepts
23-49
5
Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS
50
6
Chapter : RECOMMENDATIONS 51
7 References 52

1
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Company Overview:
Company brief introduction: GLOBALSPACE GROUP
GlobalSpace predominantly works in Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) space. Through the medium of mobile telephony, ICT is
ushering irreversible changes, and GlobalSpace is actively contributing to
the space and benefiting many enterprises across different sectors such as
Pharmaceutical, Telecom, Education, Automobile, Health, Hospitality, BFSI etc.
GlobalSpace Group has three verticals under it :-
1) GlobalSpace Technologies
2) GlobalSpace Communication Technologies
3) GlobalSpace HealthCare Technologies

2
A. GlobalSpace Technologies (GST)
At GlobalSpace, they pioneer technology solutions in mobility space, focused
majorly on developing integrated hardware, software and specially crafted
services aimed at delivering unprecedented business gains for large scale
organizations. GST offers comprehensive one stop solution with following
building blocks;
 SOLT: The customized Tablet PC on multiple OS platform
 Native content management application as platform
 Kernel embedded device management module for unprecedented control,
administration and management of devices.
 Secure network architecture
 Overall operations and management
Currently 6 out of top 10 Pharma organizations are their prestigious clients
wherein they have done mass scale deployment of the solution given by GST to
widely spread field executives.

3
B. GlobalSpace Communication Technologies
Devices like handsets, tablets and other Machine to Machine
communication products essentially in 3G and LTE wireless technologies.
The devices in the recent timeframe in conjunction with Reliance
Communications India were launched under the brand called Jive
(www.gcom.co.in). With its success, Reliance is now co-branding and planning to
launch their forth coming devices with exclusive offers to its customers across
India.
Enterprise
Solutions
Healthcare
Technology
Device
Application
A
A
Telemedicine
Technology
Consulting
Managing
Services
GST

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C. GlobalSpace HealthCare Technologies (GHT)
Mission: To provide telemedicine platform that connects the patients from any
part of the world with the best class doctors of our world class partner hospitals
for online Video Consultation.
Vision: To partner with world class hospitals across globe so as to provide trusted
cloud based end to end telemedicine platform to the patients across globe.
Goals: To include clinics and hospitals across globe which will serve as a
Medicoexperts Connect Centres (MECC).
GlobalSpace has started an initiative in which it brings the patients and doctors on
the same cloud based platform for online video consultation. This platform is
empowering Health seekers across the globe to reach out to the best of the doctors
and hospitals in India (currently) and to the best of the facilities.
The initiative is a cloud based E-Commerce Healthcare technology platform
creating a market place of large hospitals across the globe connecting patients
from any part of the world with the best class doctors of world class hospitals.
The initiative is going to benefit patients of multiple countries in Middle East
(UAE, Saudi Arab, Qatar & Oman), Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania &
Uganda), Russia /CIS & SAARC (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan).
Using highly sophisticated technology, best class process, systems & practice, the
initiative is building up a thoroughly integrating eco systems comprising of
Hospitals, Doctors, Patients, Pathologies and Pharmaceuticals Industry.
In case of Medical Tourism GHT provides end to end support to the patients
travelling in India.

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1.2: About Clients
MedicoExperts Connect Centers
 We have clients for our portal across the world from different countries called as
MECC
 Medico Experts Connect Center are the clients who acts as a connect center
between us and the patients in their surrounding area.
 Medico Experts Connect Centers are the inter-mediators who help the patients in
their areas to get connected with the India’s best doctors.
 Medico Experts Connect Centers provides with all the infrastructures such as
Laptop, LED, Camera, ISP, etc which provides a best view for the Online Video
Consultation with the doctors
 Medico Experts Connect Centers suggests all the patients from their geographical
areas for taking Online Video Consultation if needed instead of travelling abroad
for the treatment.

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Hospitals
 India’s best doctors are connected to Medico Experts for the Video Consultation
between them and patients across the world.
 The top doctors from the top hospitals in India make their time-slot available
according to their convenience for the patient.
 The top doctor from the top hospitals in India makes their time-slot available
according to their convenience for the patient.
 The patient books an appointment for the specialist by paying their estimated fees.
 The consultation takes place between the Hospitals and the MECC where the
patient is present
Some of the Top Hospitals are empanelled with MedicoExperts are:

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MedicoExperts has specialists in over 56 departments:
Specialties Specialties2 Specialties3 Specialties4 Specialties5
Anesthesiology Diabetology Gynaecology Neurosciences
Pediatrics
Gastroenterology &
Hepatology
Breast Clinic Dietician Haematology Nuclear Medicine
Plastic &
Reconstructive
Surgery
Bone Marrow
Transplant
Digestive &
Liver Diseases
Head & Neck
Surgery
Neonatology
Pulmonology & Sleep
Medicine
Cardiac
Surgery
Endocrinology Histopathology Neurology
Paediatric Cardiac
Surgery
Cardiology
Ear Nose And
Throat (ENT)
Head Neck
Surgery
Neurosurgery
Preventative
Medicine
Cardiothoracic
And Vascular
Surgery
Foetal Medicine
Internal
Medicine
Obstetrics And
Gynaecology
Units
Psychiatry
Children's
Heart Centre
Gastro Intestine
Surgery
IVF Oncology Radiation Oncology
Cosmetic
Surgery
Gastroenterology
Liver Transplant
& Regenerative
Medicine
Ophthalmology Radiology
Dermatology General Surgery
Minimally
Invasive
Surguery
Orthopaedics Rheumatology
Dental Services Genetics Nephrology
Pediatrics
Cardiology
Rehab
Robot Assisted
Surgery
Thoracic Surgery Urology Vascular Surgeon

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Most preferred Speciality for Online Video Consultation through MedicoExperts
Platform:
0
20
40
60
80
100
120

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The MedicoExperts platform for online video consultation:

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1.3.Background of the project
The purpose of this report is to carry out International Marketing of Healthcare
Services by MedicoExperts in Afghanistan.
MedicoExperts provides an Online Video Consultation that connects the
patients from any part of the world with the best class doctors of the world class
partner hospitals.
Cloud Based Online Video Consultation aim is to connect needy Patient's
to top world class Doctor's. MedicoExperts is an online healthcare initiative,
which is utilizing technology to bridge the gaps between needy patient across the
globe and super specialist doctors for online consultation. The
patients can have one-on-one dialogue through video conferencing with specialist
doctors to get answers of medical queries, to take opinions & second opinions,
and consult based on uploaded reports on various medical super specialties.
The prime objective of the system is to provide a real time system where
in the users and the doctors can interact with each other without actually meeting
physically.
Consultations are delivered via encrypted live video platform offering
highest level of data security. Our platform can be accessed via smart phones,
tablets, laptops, desktop computers or other Internet enabled devices for booking
appointments and consultation happens through laptops and desktops.
MedicoExperts provide on demand, resource allocation to remote areas
where specialists are not available, the concerned person has to visit
MedicoExperts centre and can book appointments for consultation.
The platform integrates various Diagnostic and medical devices at the
patient end to pull critical data that can be viewed by the Doctor online for an
effective consultation. The patient & the Doctor avail a near face to face
consulting experience through high-definition Video Conferencing and online
content sharing over the state-of-the-art cloud computing platform. The patients
can upload their reports and the Doctor can download the reports during
consultation seamlessly within no time.

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The Project given was Background Research on the Country: Afghanistan.
On the basis of this study, a target segment was to be identified and Sales Pitching
was done.
Database was created of the Identified Target Group of Doctors.
Penetration into the Afghanistan Market was the goal. Creating different Channel
Partners or by establishing MedicoExpert Connect Centers.
Mailers and calls were made to the Doctors. Cold Calls and Mails were
sent. Conversion of cold Calls to Hot Leads was the main primary goal.
Generation of Leads and working on penetration of MedicoExpert Services in
Afghanistan Market was the objective.

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1.4.Objective of the Study
The objectives of this report are:
 To undertake all the necessary research activities for the expansion of
MedicoExperts’ services into a new market (Afghanistan).
 To understand the healthcare scenario in Afghanistan.
 To set up MedicoExperts Connect Centers(MECC’s) in Afghanistan.
 To determine the marketing strategies to be adopted for Afghanistan.
1.5.Methodology:
The data collected for the report is a combination of Primary and Secondary data.
 Primary Data:
Primary Research was done on call by asking various people in the medical fraternity
in Afghanistan about the doctor details, hospitals and clinic details in the major cities.
The details on the consultation fees charged by the doctors in Afghanistan were also
collected.
 Secondary Data:
Data has also been collected from:
1. MedicoExperts.com Website.
2. Research Papers
3. Online articles

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1.6.Scope of the Project:
Cloud Based Online Video Consultation is simple-to-use, user- friendly
solution that can allow any user to Book an appointment with top specialists from top
Hospitals of India, It helps to have an Online Video Consultation between the patient
and the doctor, manages all the functions that are to be carried out effectively during
the consultation which can turn into valuable business model.
The Scope of the project was to increase awareness and penetrate the idea
about the video consultation services in Afghanistan market and other overseas
market and provide proper Healthcare Services to the Patients of Afghanistan before
they travel abroad (India) via MedicoExperts.com.
SCOPE
OFPROJECT
Create MECC
Cloud Based
Platform
Find a Doctor
Upload
Reports
Book
Appointment

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1.7. Purpose of the Project:
 To perform market research on the territory assigned for better understanding
 To Identify target segment and potential prospects in order to become our channel
partner
 To persuade clients to become our channel partners and recommend patients for
online video consultation as well as medical tourism
 To understand the potentiality of the Afghanistan Market to accept the idea of
partnering with MedicoExpert
 To perform sales and promotional activities on the territory assigned
1.8. Limitations
● Target population can only be upper/higher class with greater income as they
can afford to travel abroad.
● For channel partner, target can mainly be the general physician and very
rarely specialists and super specialists.
● Only telephonic conversations with the client are possible, thus it takes time
to get the trust of the client.
● Client needs to deposit a refundable amount at the beginning which acts as a
de-motivating factor
● Lack of uniform pricing in hospitals
● Price hike by many hospitals
● Low coordination by other players in industries – airline and hotels.
● Low internet penetration.
● Expensive call rates.
● Communication problems due to Bandwidth constraints in Afghanistan.
● Many doctors insist on having a face-to- face meeting to sign up as the
concept is new to them.
● Security issues due to the political turmoil.
● Many do not have credit cards and internet banking facility which makes it
difficult for them to pay.

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Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Concept of Online Video Consultation
 The main intention for creating this application is to make available the service of
doctors to the patients who finds very difficult to travel anywhere for consultation.
 Seamlessly integrated portal is designed to help those needy patients.
 Why travel abroad when patient can avail online Video consultation from word
class specialists from your neighbourhood “Medico Experts Connect Center”.
 Providing end to end support in the absolute necessity of patient choosing to travel
to the hospital for procedure.
 Exposure to work with World class doctors on Complex cases.
 Relationships with top hospitals through “Medico Experts”
 Gain brand value and Global recognition resulting increased patient base.

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2.2 Related News
What are the Benefits of Cloud Based Online Video Consultation?
By Milton Chen’s Blog from vsee.com
“Seeing a Doctor Can Save Your Time and Money”
Virtual doctor visits are rapidly gaining popularity these days as more health
insures offer telemedicine services to help cut costs. Studies have shown that virtual
care may effectively used to treat common problems such as flu, acne, deer tick bites,
sinus any urinary tract infections. Video doctor consultations can save patients a lot in
time and convenience. At $40-50 they typically cost approximately the same as
traditional doctor consultation co-pay, but can also be as inexpensive as a $10 per
month subscription.
Virtual Doctor-Patient Video Consultation to grow 65% by 2018
-Gabriel Perna
The recent reports by Parks Associates in US revealed that global telemedicine
markets will grow 18.5 through 2018 owing to the increase in virtual doctor-patient
video consultation by 65%. It will generate revenues of about $13.7 billion. Also the
connected and allied markets will tend to show an upsurge. Also, 28% of the
households with broadband in America use some type of virtual care communication
tool, which is estimated to record a growth of 65% over a five-year period.
By 2016, researchers say that more than 32 million US consumers will track
personal health and fitness online or via mobile. US sales of connected wellness and
personal health products and services will exceed $8 billion in 2018.
Not only that but, all types and professionals of healthcare providers in the
industry including the hospitals as well as physicians and General Practitioners will

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embrace virtual care in the coming times. This will be aided by the next generation
technology that will be available at the disposal of these professionals.
Online USA Doctors Partner Globally with Other Telemedicine
Doctors
By Telepresence Options
Online USA Doctors, a telemedicine, virtual, online healthcare full service
provider partners with a United Kingdom telemedicine medical health care provider
to provide the only international health doctor provider services ever. "Studies show
that health care problems and concerns increase when access to medical advice is
delayed. We believe that having doctors available when a patient needs them has the
ability to improve healthcare overall" says Julie Wright, President and Co-Founder of
OnlineUSADoctors.com.
The Service Users can access the doctor consultation and doctor video
conferencing service(s) by visiting www.onlineusadoctors.com or
www.onlineukdoctors.com, and registering for a doctor consultation. The user can
then decide which type of care they need, along with scheduling at their convenience,
not the doctors. That means, they tell us what date/time works best and one of our
doctors calls them and video chats with them after receiving their new patient
paperwork, explains Wright. The telemedicine, doctor healthcare service also
introduces the first video conferencing social network health chat rooms.

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2.3: Research paper available on Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism – The New Face of Tourism
M. Saravanan
Tourism means when people move from one place to other for their recreation
and pleasure. Medical tourism includes a component of medical and healthcare
services along with its counterpart tourism services. It is a developing concept
whereby people from all over the world visit India for their medical and relaxation
needs. Most common treatments are cosmetic surgeries and dental cares. The reason
India is a favorable destination is because of its infrastructure and technology in
which is in par with those in USA, UK and Europe. India has some of the best
hospitals and treatment centres in the world with the best facilities. Since it is also one
of the most favourable tourist destinations in the world, Medication combines with
tourism has come into effect, from which the concept of Medical Tourism is derived.
India is promoting the “high - tech healing” of its private healthcare sector as a tourist
attraction. India is rated amongst the world’s top ten “must see destination” by Conde
Naste Traveller, an international magazine with lot of reputation. Hopefully, today we
are in a better position to sell our tourism services to the rest of the world.
Indian Healthcare Sector – A Technology Approach for Efficiency Improvement
Gunjan Pahuja
Today one of the basic necessities of good living is quick access to vital
services like health care. But many times it could mean a situation of life and death
for an individual who is unable to get the access to these services. This research paper
focuses on the current status of the healthcare industry, the challenges faced and the
key initiatives for improvement. To improve the current healthcare standard a two
prong strategy focusing on the infrastructure needs and the technology solution needs
to be implemented. One of the suggested technology-oriented approaches is to deploy
decision support systems (DSS) using priority based collaborative decision making.

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Health Care Industry in India
Dr.R.Kavitha
Now a days healthcare is very important to each and every people because
they have to live without any illness. It is indispensable to prevent the people from
being affected by any disease and to give treatment to patients in case of
emergency. In case of any disease, hospitals are able to diagnose the disease and
give treatment to the patients. The quality of health care delivered by hospitals is a
major area of concern. Quality inputs can only deliver quality outputs. The first
and foremost task of hospitals is to deliver quality services to patients and also to
improve the quality of services where the situation is found very critical.
Here are some of the companies which provides online digital solutions:
1) ZHHealthcare:
ZH Healthcare provides innovative Electronic Medical Records, Patient
engagment, Tele-medicine and fully integrated Revenue Cycle Management
solutions to healthcare providers worldwide who are seeking improved patient
care through greater insight into treatment, fewer errors, and more meaningful
treatment plan coordination.
2) VSee
VSee was created by a team of Stanford University human computer interaction
scientists and network experts in order to overcome the limitations of traditional
videoconference tools. Our goal is a simple yet full featured product that works
over any network, and requires minimal training.

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Virtual doctor visits are rapidly gaining popularity these days as more to help cut
costs have shown that virtual care may effectively used to treat common problems
such as flu, acne, deer tick bites, sinus and urinary tract infections. Video doctor
consultations can save patients a lot in time and convenience. At $40-50 they
typically cost approximately the same as a traditional doctor consultation co-pay,
but can also be as inexpensive as a $10 per month subscription.
3) iCliniqe
A doctor has to just register at icliniq.com (there is a stringent verification process and
a system to make them tele-health savvy. Tele-health is answering health issues
without a physical touch), and ask the right questions to solve the issue for a patient.
His dashboard displays the queries and consultations he has to do.
A patient can simply post his health issue or doubt on icliniq for free in 160
characters. He can also book a consultation call-back or book a video
consultation. He can also post his health issue directly to a doctor. The company
charges platform fee which it deducts and pays the remaining to the doctors.
4) MediAngels
MediAngels is a breakthrough innovation in healthcare and the world's first Global
eHospital. MediAngels aims to remove all territorial barriers between healthcare
consumers and medical specialists from around the world. As global citizens, you
have the right to seek the best health information and care for yourself. At

21
MediAngels, every doctor is at your service, irrespective of their
physical/geographical location.
Telemedicine is the delivery of medical care and services from a remote location
which makes it one of the oldest areas of applied technology in medicine.
MediAngels is not merely telemedicine – it is a slightly different and a much
advanced concept. MediAngels is run like a fully-functional hospital by our globally
based medical experts, with appropriate patient care systems, audits and patient care
committees in place. Our patient-centric approach ensures that you, as a consumer,
get the best and most specialized opinion for your particular health problem. The
MediAngels panel is the most complete, credible, specialized and professionally
verified healthcare panel available globally.
At MediAngels, you get to choose not just a doctor, but THE doctor for your
particular needs. Stay at home, the world’s best doctors will visit you at a click!

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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Objectives
The following were the main research objectives of the research:
 To study the Healthcare Scenario in Afghanistan. Under this we studied
various healthcare statistics, International Healthcare policies, Governmental
Healthcare policies, Demographics of the country- the Population Density,
Doctor Density, Diseases prevalent and Healthcare structure in the particular
country.
 To understand the feasibility and acceptability of Online Cloud based Video
Consultation in Afghanistan.
 To understand the shortcomings of the Healthcare system in Afghanistan.
 To determine the price point of this service (Online Consultation) in
Afghanistan.
 To identify the Target segment for these services.
 To determine the marketing strategies and design region specific strategies for
various regions.
 To analyze the potential for medical tourism through the online video
consultation cases.
 To provide demonstration of the portal to the potential leads generated
through sales calling and pitching.

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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS
The Project was done in3 Phases:
4.1: Phases 1:- Background Study of the assigned territory: AFGHANISTAN
About Afghanistan:
Afghanistan is a landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of south-
central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to
Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders,
and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts
in great monuments now fallen to ruin. The country’s forbidding landscape of deserts and
mountains has laid many imperial ambitions to rest, as has the tireless resistance of its
fiercely independent peoples—so independent that the country has failed to coalesce into
a nation but has instead long endured as a patchwork of contending ethnic factions and
ever-shifting alliances. The official languages are Dari and Pashto. The population of the
country is 31,828, 848.

24
The capital of Afghanistan is its largest city, Kabul. The major cities of
Afghanistan are Kabul, Kandahār, Herāt, Baghlān, Jalālābād, Kunduz, Chārīkār, and
Mazār-e Sharīf. Most urban settlements have grown along the road that runs from
Kabul southwestward to Kandahār, northwest to Herāt, northeast to Mazār-e Sharīf, and
southeast back to Kabul. Virtually all the people of Afghanistan are Muslims, of whom
some three-fourths are Sunnites of the Ḥanafī branch. The others, particularly the Ḥazāra
and Kizilbash, follow either Ithnā ʿAshari or Ismāʿīlī Shīʿite Islam.
Based on the levels of infant mortality and life expectancy, Afghanistan has one
of the least-developed healthcare systems in the world. The absence of potable water in
most parts of the country is responsible for the widespread incidence of waterborne
diseases. No more than one-eighth of the population, mostly in urban areas, had access to
safe water during the 1990s. Only a small number have access to health care. Medical
training is nonexistent, and the medical aid that is available is provided principally by
international and nongovernmental organizations. Services offered by the government are
minimal. The major proportion of medical services is concentrated in Kabul, and many
rural areas do not have hospitals or doctors. The real attraction to medical tourism to India
for Afghan patients is better treatment facilities on complex procedures.
Afghan Citizens are very sensitive towards their health requirements. Since the
medical infrastructure is not so highly developed in Afghanistan, patients prefer to travel
abroad for medical management. This has been the case in past also when only the rich
and the affluent traveled to USA and Europe for healthcare. With India emerging as one
of the Medical hubs of the world, just like patients from other countries, patients from
Afghanistan travel to India for all health and medical related issues embarking on a short
flight of only 2 hours.

25
Below are the Key findings of the country of Afghanistan:
4.1.1: Demographics:
1. Total population of Afghanistan : 31.83million. 2014 Census Population states:
0-14 years: 42% (male 6,793,832/female 6,579,388)
15-24 years: 22.2% (male 3,600,264/female 3,464,781)
25-54 years: 29.4% (male 4,771,323/female 4,586,963)
55-64 years: 3.9% (male 603,197/female 622,539)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 371,753/female 428,808).
2. Urbanization: The level of urbanisation in Afghanistan showed a steady increase:
urban population: 23.5% of total population
rate of urbanization: 4.41% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Of this Kabul has a population of 3.4 million.

26
3. Afghanistan Regional segmentation:
There are 34 districts in Afghanistan. The major cities are Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-
Sharif and Kandahar. These cities were strategically selected as they cover the
maximum population and also are spread in all the four directions. i.e. east, west, north
and south.
Geographical Segmentation of the population was done to narrow down the target
group.
4. Few More Facts:
1.Doctor Density of Afghanistan is 0.19/1000 Population.
2.Hospital bed density- 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2010)
3.Major infectious diseases -
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

27
vectorborne disease: malaria
animal contact disease: rabies
highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a
negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close
contact with birds .
4. Life expectancy at birth-
total population: 50.49 years
male: 49.17 years
female: 51.88 years (2014 est.)
5. Infant mortality rate -
total: 117.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 124.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 109.18 deaths/1,000 live births
6.Sanitation facility access-
improved:
urban: 46.8% of population
rural: 23.4% of population
total: 29% of population
unimproved:
urban: 53.2% of population
rural: 76.6% of population
total: 71% of population (2012 est.)

28
4.1.2: Health care Structure in Afghanistan:
The objective for the health infrastructure development was to ensure that 85% of
the population lies within 5 km walking distance to access a well-equipped health
facility regardless of level of facility.
Type of Facilities:
National referral hospitals: These hospitals are intended to serve all Ugandans; act
as referral centers for regional referral hospitals; and offer a full range of preventive
and curative outpatient services, inpatient care, obstetrics and gynaecology,
laboratory services, surgery, psychiatry, pathology, radiology, comprehensive
specialist services, teaching, and research.
Regional referral hospitals: These hospitals are intended to serve catchment
populations up to 2,000,000; act as referral centers for district hospitals; and offer a
range of preventive and curative outpatient services, inpatient care, obstetrics and
gynaecology, laboratory services, a subset of specialty services (e.g., psychiatry,
pathology, radiology), higher-level surgical and medical care than what is found at
district hospitals, teaching, and research.

29
District hospitals: Also known as general hospitals, these hospitals are intended to
serve catchment populations up to 500,000; support all referrals from health centers
and lower levels of care; and offer a range of preventive and curative outpatient
services, inpatient care, emergency surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, laboratory
services, and other general services. District hospitals also provide in-service
training, consultation, and research on behalf of community-based health programs
at lower levels of care.
Healthcenter IVs: These facilities are intended to serve as the highest non-hospital
referral facilities at the sub- district level, or catchment populations around 100,000;
and offer basic preventive and curative outpatient services, inpatient care, second-
level referral services (e.g., life-saving medical, surgical, and obstetric services such
as blood transfusions and caesarean sections), and physical base for district health
teams.
Healthcenter IIIs: These facilities are intended to serve catchment areas up to
20,000 (the sub-county level); provide supervision of and referral services to health
center IIs under their management; and offer basic preventive and curative outpatient
services and inpatient care (largely through general and maternity wards). Many
health center IIIs also provide laboratory services.
Healthcenter IIs: These facilities are intended to serve as basic health centers and
interfaces to the formal health sector for communities (populations of about 5,000),
largely providing only outpatient care at most locations and an additional subset of
services in places with poor access to health center IIIs and health center IVs. An
Enrolled Comprehensive Nurse posted at health center IIs provides the key linkage
between village health teams and service provision.
Clinics: These facilities are privately owned and managed, largely dispensing
medications to individuals for a fee. Clinics also can provide basic outpatient
services.
Mobile clinics (MSF): A Mobile Clinic is a basic medical clinic that is brought
directly to the poor. Staffed not only by general practitioners, each Clinic provides
patients with dental, OB/GYN, and pediatric care, as well as access to preventative
tests. Mobile Clinic participants have the opportunity to work closely with and learn

30
from medical professionals as they identify individuals in need of follow-up care.
Participants will work alongside our staff at patient intake, triage and pharmacy, and
also help run educational programs. The typical Mobile Clinic week includes three
days volunteering on-site at the Clinic, one day working with local community
members on a development project, one day completing a tour of the project site,
and two days of cultural tourism.
4.1.3 Observations:
 Two types of healthcare providers- Public and Private
 Significance of private providers is much more than public, i.e. upto 55%
 Barriers to Healthcare
 The ratio of health workers to population is 1.08 to 1000
 The Ministry of Public Health contracts with NGOs for the majority of
health care in Afghanistan
 Health care funding mainly comes from outside sources such as the
European Commission, World Bank, and USAID. While external funding
is key, domestic support of health care must increase.
 Food Security
 Continuous improvement
 Infection prevention and control mechanism
 Pharmaceutical Safety
 Safe surgery checklist
 Supportive supervision

31
4.1.4: Market Drivers:
 Health Facilities in Afghanistan are not sufficient, they have no medicines and
insufficient medical staff; and the few who work there are underpaid and
sometimes delayed to be paid their salaries.
 For those who reached the hospitals, 40 percent of them said they faced
fighting, landmines, checkpoints or harassment on their journey.
 The patients’ testimonies expose a wide gap between what exists on paper in
terms of healthcare and what actually functions.
 Thailand, Singapore,Mexico, Pakistan and India are the favoured medical
tourisms for the patients of Afghanistan with the latter two being the most
preferred ones.
 Cost related aspect, eg: heart surgery in US costs 30,000 $ in India it costs
8,000$. India has lowest costs for treatment compared to Thailand, UK,US,
Singapore.
 Quality services from best hospital brands.
 Other package offers: 70% people love tourism as an element in their package.
 Khalil Ahmad Mohmand, President of Max Global Consulting Services
(MGCS) says , “There might be many reasons for the patients deciding to leave
Afghanistan for Healthcare, such as limited number of quality health care
facilities for diagnosis and treatment, lack of new and modern diagnostic and
treatment technology, and a few highly trained human resources personnel,
among others.”

32
4.1.5: Other Facts:
 India has become a preferred choice for many Afghans who seek advanced
treatment for various health issues because of low costs, less hassles and
shorter waiting lists for elective surgery.
 The Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health estimates Afghans travelling
abroad for treatment spend US$ 1300 (72000 AFs).
 As per industry figures, more than 10, 00,000 foreign patients visited India in
2014, and majority of them from Afghanistan.
 According to the Indian Embassy in Kabul, more than 100,000 medical visas
have been issued in last three years.
 There is no medical insurance system for travelling abroad for services. The
payment method is out-of-pocket and in cash.
 A survey by the WHO showed 70% of nurses, midwives, and laboratory
technicians did not meet minimum knowledge and skills standards when they
were tested.
 The Ministry of Public Health cannot employ those trained by some NGOs
because they do not meet the government’s strict requirements. As a result, a
nationwide survey indicated a shortage of least 7,000 physicians and 20,000
nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals.

33
4.1.6: Observation:
We studied the major prevalent diseases in Afghanistan and percentage of people
travelling to India for Medical Tourism and for what kind of Surgeries.
During our study we found certain issues in Afghanistan:
 People find it difficult to travel to different cities within Afghanistan as the
distances are quite long and the transportation system is in shambles. People in
Afghanistan are poor and have a low spending capacity.
 The Doctor Density in Afghanistan is very low and people don’t have access to
any Health services within 5 km radius of their Households.
 India is a preferred medical tourism destination for Afghan patients due to easy
restriction of visas, short distance and no security issues, unlike Pakistan.
 Many medical tourists, especially from Afghanistan are fascinated by the
traditional and natural medicine as much by the advancements in modern
medicine. Ayurveda, unani and yoga are also popular with medical tourists.
 Another major issue is the non-availability and duplication in drugs.
4.1.7: Conclusion:
From the reasons above we came to a conclusion that the Idea of Online Video
Consultation would be readily accepted in the Afghan Market if the price-point could
be managed effectively. We identified Kabul, Herat, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif to
be our main segments with a special emphasis on Kabul as it is the capital city and has
maximum hospitals.

34
4.2: Phase 2: To Identify the Target Segment for penetrating
in the Afghan Market and generating leads.
4.2.1: Database generation:
Database was generated mainly from following sources:
 LinkedIn was the first source of Data Collection.
All the existing Afghan connections on LinkedIn were sent a Primary Introductory
mail.
New Connections were generated on LinkedIn via advanced search and using the
Sales Navigator tool. Thus a LinkedIn database was generated.
 Survey: Telephonic Surveys were done to create a database and to gain certain basic
information about Afghan Doctors.
 Apart from the Medico Experts Connect Center model, we also focussed on the
other two business models which our company offers, i.e. Referral Partner(RP) and
Business Development Partner(BDP).
 Referral Partner: Referral Partners are a leading private company or individual who
has represented to possess the required skills and relationships in Healthcare
industry to identify patients who need to be treated outside the country due to
different reasons. Referral Partner thus helped in identifying doctors and getting
their numbers to partner with MedicoExperts.
 Business Development Partners: The BDP explores & ties up with the
hospitals/clinics/Diagnostic centers to be our MECC. The BDP is also responsible
for driving & influencing day- to- day operation & business of the MECC. The
BDP identifies the suitable centers in Afghanistan where Telehealth infrastructure
can be commissioned. Thus this business model of our company helped to
find more prospects.
Telephonic Interviews with the BDP and RP were done and details of the
Hospitals and Private Practitioners were taken.
The second and the most important source of building our database was
Facebook. Within a very short span of time we identified that people in

35
afghanistan are not very active on LinkedIn as many are unaware of the concept of
building a professional network. But it is not the case when it comes to Facebook.
In general, Afghan people are emotional in nature and like to share thoughts,
occasions and success with their friends and relatives. Facebook acts as the perfect
medium for them to express their thoughts. Hence a large number of Afghan
doctors are available on Facebook. Once we found out that Facebook is very
popular in Afghanistan, we started conversing with the Afghan doctors on
Facebook and generated leads. Through this we could get the contact details of the
doctors and clinics and also we had a greater reach.
4.2.2: Identification of the Target Segment:
Telephonic Interviews:
Few of the Basic Common Questions asked to the BDP’s and RP’s were:
1. What are Consultation charges by the General Physicians, Specialists and
Super Specialists in Afghanistan?
2. How is Internet Connectivity in Afghanistan in the respective areas?
3. What is you Specialisation?
4. Do you work in Hospital/ Own a clinic or work in the Government Hospital?
5. Do you get Patients enquiring for Medical Tourism?
6. Do you get Patients whom you have to recommend to other Doctor because of
any reason and why? What is the reason?

36
Q1. What are Consultation charges by the General Physicians, Specialists and Super
Specialists in Afghanistan?
Observation:
 The General Physicians charged about 15$, they were our Target Segment
because General Physicians get the maximum footfall of Patients and General
Physicians benefit more from Online Consultation as they don’t have to refer
their patients to another Specialist Doctors.
 They can arrange for consultation from a specialist Online via MedicoExperts.
MedicoExperts had to penetrate the idea into the market and the General
Physicians were the best Target Segment to Pitch in the Commissioning Stage.
 Any doctor having his/her private clinic would be an even better option for us
as there would be no problem of space for the infrastructure required for the
consultation. Hence our primary Target Segment were General Physicians.
Also we targeted the small and mid-size hospitals as they also lacked super-
specialists and could use our empanelled doctors if a consultation had to be
done.

37
Q2. How is the Internet Connectivity in Afghanistan in the respective areas?
Answer - The internet connectivity in Afghanistan is scarce. Many of our Skype to
Skype calls which worked on internet connection were not very clear as there were a
lot of bandwidth issues in Afghanistan. Due to this many conversations were
hampered. But fortunately there was decent bandwidth speed with most of the doctors
as they are also aware about technological requirements. Kabul is the city with the
maximum internet users.
Observation: Kabul, being the capital city had the highest level of internet
connectivity. Although the percentage of internet connectivity is pretty low, most of
the doctors have an internet connection.

38
Q3. Do you get Patients enquiring for Medical Tourism?
Observation: We found that on an average a private practitioner (Specialist) often got
patients who were converted to Medical Tourism. On an average 8-10 patients in a
month. A General Physician and Doctors solely working in Hospitals rarely got
patients who were converted to Medical Tourism.

39
Q4. What are the reasons for recommending patients for Medical Tourism?
Identifying the Target Segment:
 The Target Segment according to the study were General Physicians and
Private Practitioners for becoming the Medico Expert Connect Centres.
 Specialists were targeted for partnering as a Referral Partner.
 Any person working in the Hospital or clinics were targeted for becoming
our Business Development Partner.
68%
32%
Reasons to Recommend Patients
Speciality not availiable
Facilities not availiable at
the center

40
4.3 Phase 3:
 Elevator Pitching.
 Closures.
Elevator Pitch
 Before we started our calling to our intended target audience, our director had
asked us to read about the Elevator Pitch. We also had to prepare our own
elevator pitches which had to used while we had to make calls. One of the
most things which is useful for salespeople who need to pitch their products
and services is the Elevator Pitch. But you can also use them in other
situations. For example, you can use it to introduce your organization to
potential clients or customers. An elevator pitch is a communication tool; it
will help you articulate your message. An elevator pitch is also a sales tool; it
will help you raise the money, and close the deals, you need to be successful.
 An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that you use to spark interest in
what your organization does. You can also use them to create interest in a
project, idea, or product – or in yourself. A good elevator pitch should last no
longer than a short elevator ride of 20 to 30 seconds, hence the name. They
should be interesting, memorable, and succinct. They also need to explain
what makes you – or your organization, product, or idea – unique. After
studying what elevator pitches are, our director sat with us and reviewed our
pitches. He also suggested a few changes which helped us to understand the
customer’s needs and requirements. We also understood how to position
ourselves when we had to speak to the Doctors and Hospitals.

41
Closures
One of the most important stages of selling is closing the deal. There was a
time when shaking hands with a person could close a deal, but these days most
business transactions are complicated by contracts. A contract is closed only when the
buyer is fully convinced about the value offered to him.
We were fortunate enough to close two deals and thus set-up two
MedicoExperts Connect Centers.
1. Blossom Healthcare, Kabul
Medical Director: Dr. Bahar Ahmad Omary
This is a healthcare centre situated right in the heart of Kabul. They are
already into telemedicine and are fully aware about how the concept works. All the
doctors are active on social media platforms which helped us communicate easily.
Cardiology, Emergency Services, Paediatric Care, Neurosurgery, Neurology,
Gynaecology, Radiology, Dental Surgery etc are the services offered by them. Thus
they offer a wide range of services to the patients. They already have the required
infrastructure in place. To such a client it was more about convincing him about our
robust technology, our timeliness and our pricing. Thus multiple demonstrations were
provided to them. Dr. Bahar Ahmed, the Medical Director of the center and his
assistant were in constant touch with us. All their grievances were solved time to time.
Our director also spoke to him and explained him our future marketing plans in the
country. The demonstrations helped them to gain confidence in our systems and by
providing flexibility in pricing we could close this deal.

42
Date of Contract with MedicoExperts: 23rd
June, 2015
Snap of the Agreement:

43
2. Safi Dental Clinic, Kabul
Medical Director: Dr. Sultan Aziz
Situated in Kabul, this center was a really promising prospect. Right from the
first call, the Medical Director, Dr Sultan Aziz seemed very keen to partner us. And
we maintained a good follow-up with him. The various services offered in this center
are Dental care, Gynaecology and Orthopaedic treatment. The fact that he was pretty
active on social networking websites helped us, as we were also handling the
Facebook account and it helped us connect much frequently. We also had several
Skype calls where he was explained about our concepts, our working and the benefits
of the partnership. He was also given a demo and was pretty impressed with our
services. Our director spoke with him in our presence for around 40 minutes and it
was a really positive conversation. Our director gave us a thumbs-up and said that he
expected this client to become our partner. We were instructed to send the agreement
to him. We also spoke with the doctor before sending the agreement and explained
him the various terms and conditions in the agreement. All the talks progresses
smoothly and we had our second deal closed.

44
Date of contract with MedicoExperts: 30th
June, 2015
Snap of the Agreement:

45
4.4 Applicability of Marketing Concepts
4.4.1 PESTLE Analysis of Afghanistan
 Political- The country is in a transitional phase with internal conflicts.
Instability of the Government.
 Economical- A country where inflation has always been very high. Slow
growing economy, receives a lot of foreign aid, Income ranges from
40USD-2500USD.
 Social – Islamic Country, orthodox culture, low English language
penetration
It is mostly a nomadic and tribal society
 Technological – Rising users on social media platforms, low internet
penetration
Viber is preferred more over Whatsapp.
Popularity and usage of LinkedIn is considerably very low as compared to
Facebook.
 Legal – Permissions and approval from Ministry of Public Health is a very
cumbersome process.
 Environmental – Bestowed with nature’s bounties, agriculture is the
favoured occupation. The nation has one of the highest incidences of
people with disabilities, with around a million people affected owing
majorly to terrorist attacks.
Main focus point - The ratio of health workers to population is 1.08 to
1000.

46
4.4.2 STPD
 Segmentation- The importance of market segmentation is that it allows a
business to precisely reach a consumer with specific needs and wants. In the
long run, this benefits the company because they are able to use their corporate
resources more effectively and make better strategic marketing decisions.
 We focused majorly on two types of Segmentations:
 Geographical Segmentation: By dividing the entire country in to various
provinces we works could reach different areas of population density.
 Demographical Segmentation: Focusing on the available specialty.
 Target Audience- Targeting helps to focus on a defined set of people. Thus
there is a better chance to inform and convince the customers. Our target
audience was Doctors and clinics with additional focus on private
practitioners.
 Positioning- Positioning is another important element of a marketing plan.
Effective product positioning ensures that marketing messages resonate with
target consumers and compel them to take action. Highlighting the USPs of
MedicoExperts and stressing on the benefits for the MECC, eg. Turning their
hospital into a Multi-specialty clinic was the way we positioned ourselves in
the market.
 Differentiation- Differentiation marketing helps your products stand out in a
crowded marketplace. It can be an important strategy to implement, especially
if your products are very similar to those of your competition. Our
differentiating factors were uncompromised technical support, High
commissions on each consultation or MT. Main competitors were
Mediangels, icliniq, Doctor Spring, Health Care Magic.

47
4.4.3 ANSOFF Matrix
The Ansoff Matrix is used to portray alternative corporate growth strategies. It
is a matrix that focuses on the firm's present and potential products and markets
(customers).While plotting MedicoExperts on the Ansoff Matrix; we found out that it
lies on the third quadrant with New Markets and Existing Products giving an ample
scope for the company for Market Development. As the company was already present
in African countries, Afghanistan was a new market for us. The product being the
same, we had to develop an entire new market for online video consultation in
Afghanistan.
Our responsibilities included developing a new market in the targeted regions,
especially focussing on Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif. We also had to
decide on the number of centers and the favourable pricing strategy. The development
of new markets for the product is a good strategy as the firm's core competencies are
related more to the specific product than to its experience with a specific market
segment. Because the firm is expanding into a new market, a market development
strategy typically has more risk.
 Major influencing factor to enter- Lack of healthcare infrastructure in the
country.
 Huge potential for Medical Tourism

48
4.4.4 IMC Strategies
Media Reach:
 Kabul, Jalalabad, and Khost have the most Internet users
 http://data.internews.org/af-media/
 Today, over 2.4 million Afghans have access to the internet, and among them
over 1.7 million use social media platforms
 The top 5 social media platforms used in Afghanistan are:
o Facebook
o You Tube
o Twitter
o LinkedIn
o Google +
 The most popular websites are
Google.com,blogfa.com,varzesh3.com,acbar.org and jobs.af
 Viber is more preferred over Whatsapp
 Afghans prefer TVCs and are more influenced majorly by it
Our Startegies:
 Major communications were routed through Skype and Viber
 Promotions were designed for Facebook keeping in mind the occasions
 Digital promotional materials were sent through mailers
 Visibility through featuring the MECCs on MedicoExperts.com website
 Plans are in pipeline to produce a TVC for awareness of the MECCs to afghan
doctors and potential patients equally

49
4.4.5 Pricing
Pricing becomes a vital decision area on account of many other factors,
besides its crucial role bringing revenues and profits to the business. It is essential that
we get a full picture of the significance of pricing before we proceed with a discussion
of the various issues relating to pricing.The very fact that pricing constitutes one of
the four P’s of marketing signifies clearly the importance of pricing in marketing
management. The decision relating to price depends on the sales volume and profits
of the firm even in the context of such strategies
In our case we decided to implement the ‘Penetration Pricing’ strategy as we
wanted to attract more customers and announce ourselves in the market. Penetration
pricing helps to bring new customers, increase market share and build customer
loyalty. Normally the registration charge on our portal for the African countries is
$500 which was reduced to $250 for the Afghan market. Similarly the consultation
fees were also drastically reduced from $100 to $25 understanding the market
sentiment in Afghanistan. This was a decision taken because people in Afghanistan
have a low income level than African people. The African continent has a class of
people who are very rich and do not mind spending money for healthcare. But in
Afghanistan we spoke to a number of Doctors and considering the general
consultation charges over there and maintain the exclusivity of our services we
reached at the price point of $25 per consultation. Once the volumes start growing it
makes sense to increase the price.
Africa(in$) Afghanistan(in $)
500
250
100
25
Pricing
Registration fees Consultation Fees

50
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS
 When a concept is new for a market, then it is first important to educate
the target audience about the concept. People in Afghanistan are unaware
of several technological innovations in the modern world. Thus they have
to be informed about the product or service before thinking of selling it to
them.
 The most important factor to expand our services in Afghanistan is
because there is a huge need of these facilities there. The healthcare
scenario is poor over there and any new innovations in this field are
appreciated there.
 The challenges of establishing a functional health care system in
Afghanistan include those of a developing nation, post-conflict nation, and
a combat zone.
 People in Afghanistan are emotional in nature. They appreciate concern.
Speaking on the phone gives them more conviction rather than internet
conversations as they aren’t too familiar with e-commerce businesses.
 The long-term goal of quality health care for all citizens in Afghanistan
will only be met by a combination of specific goal-oriented projects,
foreign aid, and domestic responsibility.
Every market has a different strategy. It is important to first understand what
the market needs are. The Afghan market is a little difficult to understand and hence
the strategies to be implemented have to be flexible. It is not a heavily populated
country and thus there cannot be more than 8 centers operating in the country. If there
would be many centers, then it would be difficult for all the centers to sustain the
competition.

51
CHAPTER 6: RECOMMENDATIONS
 Making the MECC an educational centre and training could be provided to
medical students by setting up a three-way consultation. This would help to
make the people familiar with the system of online consultation and provide
valuable exposure to the medical students.
 Delivery of medicines and drugs- Many Doctors in Afghanistan had
mentioned that there was a shortage of Quality medicines. Sometimes they
also face the issue of fake medicines. We mentioned this point to our Director
and he felt that it was a good idea and decided to explore it.
 Provision of complete travel packages which includes airfare, food, stay and
treatment. This was mainly thought considering that Spice Jet is the only
private carrier of patients from Kabul to Delhi and generates a large part of its
revenue in this territory. We felt that a tie-up of this sort would make great use
of economies of scale.
 The online consultations can be a source for potential MT. It could be great if
the same patient is converted for Medical tourism as he would get preferential
treatment in our partner hospitals and also bring business.
 Harnessing the growth of social media for effective marketing communication.
The world has seen the big boom of social media. With the number of people
using social media these days, companies have begun to realise its potential.
Facebook could be utilised in a massive way for communication various
activities and campaigns of MedicoExperts in Afghanistan.
 Making the MECC an educational centre to provide basic healthcare education
 More focus on making MedicoExperts.com website robust and glitch free.

52
References
 Afganistan. (n.d.). Retrieved from Britannia: http://www.britannica.com
 Afganistan. (2011). Retrieved from NCBI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 Philip Kotler. (2012). Marketing Mnagement (13e ed.)
 Redesigning Health care. (n.d.). Retrieved from cordaid:
https://www.cordaid.org
 Southast. (n.d.). Retrieved from Worldbank:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org
 Th UKs work in Afganistan. (n.d.). Retrieved from Gov UK:
https://www.gov.uk
 WHO Afganishtan. (n.d.). Retrieved from Who Afganishtan:
https://www.facebook.com

Marketing Healthcare Services in Afghanistan

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