The Scientist Changing Kashmir's Healthcare

A Kashmiri scientist's telehealth platform turns smartphones into portals of care, helping families in remote villages consult specialists and manage chronic diseases amid winters and instability.

- Dr. Saad Parvez

Dr. Nawab John Dar adjusts his glasses and looks at a microscope, though his mind drifts far from the high-tech labs of California's Salk Institute.

His research into Alzheimer's disease, specifically how iron imbalance accelerates brain degeneration, has earned him respect among peers.

Yet it is the distant peaks and valleys of his childhood home in Kashmir that occupy his thoughts most. Years ago, the question came to him in stark clarity: Why should geography determine the care you receive?

For millions in Kashmir, access to specialist medical care is a daily struggle. Winters block roads for months. Political instability shuts down movement without warning. The region's public health infrastructure struggles under years of trouble, with reports from the Jammu and Kashmir Health Department showing that in 2022, only 5.8 doctors served every 10,000 people, far below the national average of 7.9.

The majority of specialists cluster in Srinagar and Jammu, while villages remain disconnected.

It was this reality that prompted Dr. Dar to join forces with the Greenovator Incubation Foundation (GIF) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar to develop Teleprac, a digital health platform designed to bridge the divide.

The platform connects patients in remote villages with doctors in urban centers, allowing them to consult, test, and treat without leaving home.

"This isn't about just having video calls," Dr. Dar explains, his voice calm, measured. "It's about a system where your medical history travels with you. Every test, prescription, consultation is linked, accessible, reliable."

For Shabir Ahmad, a labourer from a small village near Shopian, Teleprac proved to be a lifeline.