In Zimbabwe, Starlink’s fast Internet gives telehealth a boost

A Starlink Inc satellite terminal on the rooftop of a residential building in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Nov 27, 2024. The arrival of Musk’s Starlink services in Zimbabwe has boosted online health services but critics warn inequalities persist. — Bloomberg

NHEDZIWA, Zimbabwe: In early November, Precious Chinonzura went to a telehealth, or e-health, booth in the local shopping centre in her village in Zimbabwe to see if she could get relief from bladder pains that had been bothering her for a month.

The 30-year-old consulted a doctor online and by evening the medication he prescribed had been delivered to her village of Nhedziwa from a telehealth booth in Chakohwa, some 22km (14 miles) away.