Marham, an online healthcare platform in Pakistan, has recently raised $1 million in a seed round led by Indus Valley Capital with the participation of Weihan Liew, a serial tech entrepreneur in Southeast Asia.

WHAT IT DOES

Marham is a mobile app and web-based platform launched in 2015. It claims to be the first health startup in Pakistan that enabled patients to book consultations with doctors online. The company now also allows users to schedule a lab test and order medicines via its platform. The startup hosts a network of around 20,000 doctors and serves about 10 million patients in the country.  

WHY IT MATTERS

Tech news site MENAbytes said in a report that Marham will use its latest investment to offer more digital services and expand its reach to smaller cities and rural areas across Pakistan.

It noted that the seed round represents its first capital raising event, having had to sustain its operations through personal savings. 

THE LARGER TREND

In June, fellow Pakistani digital health platform Dawaai bagged $8.5 million in a financing round led by US-based 500 Startups. It operates an online pharmacy, as well as offers teleconsultations, nursing, physiotherapy and at-home lab testing through its mobile app and web portal.

ON THE RECORD

"Our vision is to build a healthcare ecosystem, for patients, doctors and hospitals to ensure faster care and better experience via technology, processes and telemedicine-enabled micro-clinics across Pakistan," Marham Co-founder and CEO Ehsan Imam reportedly said in a press statement.