SES delivering connectivity in rural Bangladesh

Satellite company SES is helping to connect doctors and communities in rural Bangladesh, living in remote and isolated areas, by partnering with FRIENDSHIP Luxembourg NGO.

The company signed a donation agreement of its maritime VSAT antenna, which will be donated and installed by its subsidiary SES Techcom Services.

The VSAT antenna is to be installed on the Emirates Friendship Hospital ship, while SES Techcom will also deploy SATMED, the satellite-based e-health platform, which will also cover two other hospital ships run by the NGO: Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital and Rongdhonu Friendship Hospital.

The newly deployed e-health platform will enable healthcare workers on the FRIENDSHIP floating hospitals to connect to doctors around the world, as well as provide medical counselling to marginalised communities through telemedicine.

After implementing SATMED platform tools and services, the hospital ships — via satellite connectivity — will be able to support and facilitate work in the areas of e-care and e-learning as well as manage communications amongst the NGOs teams more effectively.

“Our SATMED deployment in Bangladesh is particularly notable, because the population is living in an extremely remote and inaccessible area,” said Gerhard Bethscheider, managing director, SES Techcom Services.

“These communities are completely isolated from any kind of connectivity and we have attempted to change this by partnering with FRIENDSHIP to deploy SATMED on their hospital ships using maritime VSATs.”

FRIENDSHIP has operated in Bangladesh providing support and programs for health, education, disaster preparedness and emergency relief to marginalised communities living in remote riverine areas since 2001.

Marc Elvinger, chairman of FRIENDSHIP Luxembourg, said the partnership is a great illustration of how satellite technology can benefit humanitarian initiatives.

“With FRIENDSHIP’s innovative healthcare model and the SATMED connectivity, patients can now be remotely diagnosed by experts thousands of miles away, and doctors and nurses can improve their knowledge through online courses or life sessions,” said Elvinger.

“Lives can be saved and changed through easy access to necessary information available anywhere via the internet.”

SES, a satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites, provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

Image caption: Gerhard Bethscheider, managing director at SES Techcom Services, and Marc Elvinger, CEO Friendship Luxembourg. (Credit: SES) (Photo: Business Wire)