Roshan Announces Expansion of Afghanistan's First Telemedicine Project to Bamyan...

Roshan Announces Expansion of Afghanistan's First Telemedicine Project to
Bamyan Region

Roshan, Cisco, the Government of Afghanistan, The Aga Khan University
Hospital, Karachi, the French Medical Institute for Children, Aga Khan Health
Services and the Bamyan Provincial Hospital Team up to Expand Healthcare
Access by Linking Afghan Hospitals to International Medical Institutions

KABUL and BAMYAN, Afghanistan, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Roshan, the leading
telecom operator in Afghanistan, today announced the expansion of its
first-of-its-kind Telemedicine solution in Afghanistan beyond Kabul to include
provincial hospitals. Bamyan Provincial Hospital will be the first provincial
medical facility linked to the innovative Telemedicine project, which uses
broadband technology, wireless video conferencing and digital image transfer,
to provide hospitals in Afghanistan with real-time access to specialist
healthcare diagnosis, treatment and training expertise from abroad.

Roshan has teamed with Cisco, the Government of Afghanistan, The Aga Khan
University Hospital, Karachi (AKUH), French Medical Institute for Children
(FMIC), Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), Bamyan Provincial Hospital (BPH) and
other technology suppliers to undertake the project. Launched in 2007, the
project already links FMIC in Kabul, Afghanistan to AKUH in Karachi, Pakistan,
enabling access to a broad array of radiology expertise provided by AKUH. The
second phase links BPH to the FMIC, which is being developed as an Afghan
center of medical excellence. To date, more than 340 patients have benefitted
from Telemedicine and more than 231 Afghan medical personnel have participated
in diagnostic and training opportunities facilitated by the technology.

Telemedicine links will be extended to other provincial hospitals and
eventually to medical institutions in Europe and North America. The
Telemedicine project developed in Afghanistan is also seen as a model for
addressing healthcare delivery shortcomings in other developing countries
where access to medical diagnosis, treatment and training is limited.

"After the launch and initial success of Telemedicine in Kabul, we are
delighted to begin extending Telemedicine links to provincial hospitals in
Afghanistan, where the need for access to quality specialist diagnosis and
training is even greater," said Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer of
Roshan. "Telemedicine further demonstrates the power of wireless technology
to improve people's lives and expand the healthcare resources available to the
people of Afghanistan."

Since 2002, the Aga Khan University has been working with the Government of
Afghanistan and donor agencies to strengthen human resource capacity in
nursing, medicine and teacher education in Afghanistan. "The Aga Khan
University Hospital, Karachi has been responsible for the management of FMIC
that provides high quality health care to the children of Afghanistan. We are
proud to work with partners such as Roshan and CISCO to expand telemedicine in
Afghanistan that broadens access to high quality health care to those in
isolated communities," said Al-Karim Haji, Director General and Chief
Financial Officer of AKU.

The Bamyan region in Afghanistan has some of the highest levels of maternal
and child mortality in Afghanistan. For every 22,500 births, there are 382
maternal deaths and 3,937 infant deaths. The Bamyan Provincial Hospital was
originally established in 2001 and in 2004, the Aga Khan Health Services
(AKHS) assumed management as part of its wider endeavor to improve the living
conditions and quality of life for the people of Bamyan. The hospital has
since grown from 30 beds to its present capacity of 74 beds. There are an
estimated 514,698 people served by the hospital on an annual basis.

Dr. Semira Manaseki-Holland, Regional Chief Executive Officer, AKHS, Central
Asia, said, "The extension of the Telemedicine solution to the Bamyan
Provincial Hospital is a major step in advancing our healthcare capabilities
and access to top-quality specialists. Already, almost 100 patients in our
care have benefited from Telemedicine."

His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information
Technology, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan added, "Our Government is striving
to improve the quality of life of our people and providing quality health care
is one of our top priorities. This innovative use of technology and
telecommunications to enhance healthcare delivery will support our efforts to
meet the nation's other development challenges."

Telemedicine involves the use of broadband technology that provides real-time
high speed access for the transfer of medical imaging, video, data and voice.
Applications include the ability to send real-time X-ray, ultrasound and CAT
Scans (Computerized Axial Tomography) for evaluation. The technology also
enables e-learning and learning through video conferencing.

The initial service provided is teleradiology, the electronic transmission of
radiological patient images. There are currently an average of 40
teleradiology cases evaluated monthly between FMIC and AKUH and ongoing
training provided to medical professionals to build capacity. Telemedicine
capabilities will gradually be expanded to other rural regions of Afghanistan,
to include the use of smart-phone and PDAs, and to address different services
and procedures including evaluation of tissue samples and the on-line
performance of medical and surgical procedures.

Roshan has spearheaded development of the Telemedicine project from initial
conceptualization through implementation through its Corporate Social
Responsibility arm and is part of its ongoing commitment to serving as a
catalyst for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Over the next three to five
years, Roshan will invest $1.5 million in the Telemedicine project. Roshan is
part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), which is one of
nine Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies that address a wide spectrum
of development challenges.

Regarding the Telemedicine project, Aly Mawji, Resident Representative for
AKDN, said, "The inauguration of Telemedicine services between Bamyan and
Kabul is an example of the exciting progress being made in Afghanistan,
showing how new innovations are bringing tangible improvement to people's
lives. That this inauguration is happening at the same time as the opening of
a new operating theatre block at the Bamyan Provincial Hospital and the
beginning of the fourth session of the Bamyan community midwifery program
bears testimony that progress is possible and is happening in Afghanistan in
remote rural areas."

About the Aga Khan Development Network

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of nine international
development agencies and institutions which implement programmes in rural
development, education, health, culture, microfinance and business. The
network, led by its founder, His Highness the Aga Khan, is dedicated to
improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to
their faith, origin or gender. The AKDN agencies are private and
non-denominational, working in some thirty countries, mainly in Asia and
Africa.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan's leading
telecom operator, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and approximately
3.5 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,100 people
and provides indirect employment to more than 25,000 people. Since its
inception 5 years ago, Roshan has invested almost US $400 million in
Afghanistan and is the country's single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan
is deeply committed to Afghanistan's reconstruction and socio-economic
development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the
Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and
promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in
the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI)
and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is
committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the
people of Afghanistan.

About Aga Khan University

AKU was chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Its
objective is to promote human welfare in general, and the welfare of the
people of Pakistan in particular, by disseminating knowledge and providing
instruction, training, research and service in the health sciences, education
and such other branches of learning as the University may determine. AKU also
has programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan,
Syria and Egypt.

About Aga Khan Health Services

The Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is one of the most comprehensive private
not-for-profit health care systems in the developing world, with community
health programmes in Central and South Asia and in East Africa. In
Afghanistan, the AKHS is assisting the government to develop a national
healthcare system by managing and staffing a network of health facilities,
providing community health education and by training midwives and other women
health professionals. The AKHS is one of nine international agencies and
institutions which make up the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is
dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor,
without regard to their faith, origin or gender.

About the French Medical Institute for Children

The French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) is a private, non-profit
health institution founded in 2005 through a unique public-private partnership
between the Governments of Afghanistan and France, a French NGO - La Chaine de
L'Espoir/Enfants Afghans and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) through
the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi (AKUH, Karachi) has risen to the
challenge to assist in charting the course towards sustainable health care
solutions for Afghanistan and advances have been made in both immediate
service delivery and long-term policy planning. FMIC has served Afghans from
all 34 provinces and has a policy of providing services to all in need
regardless of their financial means, race or creed. The French Medical
Institute for Children (FMIC) has become the only healthcare organization in
Afghanistan to meet the standards for the International Organization for
Standardization's (ISO) 9001:2008 quality management systems.

For further information, please contact:

Farah Kurji
Senior Public Relations Specialist
Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan)
House #13, Main Street, Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Afghanistan
Office: +93 (0) 799 97 6813
Mobile: +93 (0) 799 99 6813
E-mail: farah.kurji@roshan.af
Website: www.roshan.af

Jessica Anderson
Senior Account Supervisor
Hill & Knowlton
909 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10022
Direct Line: 1-212-885-0492
jessica.anderson@hillandknowlton.com

SOURCE Roshan

Farah Kurji, Senior Public Relations Specialist of Roshan (Telecom Development
Company Afghanistan), Office: +93 (0) 799 97 6813, Mobile: +93 (0) 799 99
6813, farah.kurji@roshan.af; or Jessica Anderson, +1-212-885-0492,
jessica.anderson@hillandknowlton.com, for Roshan