Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar

people behind MARHAM

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar are the people behind MARHAM, a platform for finding doctors and booking appointments in Pakistan. Ehsan Imam graduated in computer science from the University of Central Punjab and worked at Confiz until 2016, when MARHAM started. Asma Salman Omar studied computer science in 2010 and suggested the name Marham.

Early life and background

Ehsan Imam was born in Lahore and received his early education at a local school there. He grew up in the streets of Lahore and has nine siblings. His sister is a doctor. His father was a government servant who worked in the railways. [1]

Asma Salman Omar was born in Lahore, and her father was a Pakistan Air Force officer. She spent most of her childhood in Sargodha and completed her schooling in Air Force schools. Her family got a computer at home when she was in ninth class. She says she learned everything online. [1]

Education

Ehsan Imam graduated in computer science from the University of Central Punjab. Asma Salman Omar's parents thought she could become a doctor. Her father told her to study computer science. She studied at the University of Sargodha, and she studied computer science in 2010. [1]

Career

Imam worked remotely from Pakistan for an international organization that had no office in Pakistan. His remote employer was an organization based in Canada. He says he found the opportunity through online forums where he read, wrote and shared. [1]

Imam joined Confiz around 2013, which he places in the middle of that year. At Confiz he led the development side of a large engagement with Microsoft. He worked at Confiz until 2016, when MARHAM started. He says all the companies he worked for were based in the US or Canada. [1]

Asma Salman Omar says she won first prize in a competition. She says she used to give classes and sessions to master's students. She says she loved the culture at Confiz, which was doing big projects like Microsoft and Intel. Omar met Imam at Confiz, where she was working on user experience design. [1]

MARHAM

Imam could not find a doctor for his father for three days. He resigned from his company. He says the idea was to collect data and put together a strong database of doctors. [1]

A community connected to the founders went viral and had about 5,000 members within a few weeks. The name Marham was suggested by Omar. The early team joined because they shared the same objective. [1]

MARHAM describes itself as an end-to-end service covering doctor search, booking, online consultation, home diagnostics and medicine delivery. It has an app variant for doctors called Marham Connect. MARHAM delivers medicines in a few cities. Patients choose a doctor and an available time slot. After a consultation, the doctor sends an e-prescription to the patient. [1]

Imam and Omar say about 30 million people have used the MARHAM platform so far. MARHAM says it has served 1.5 to 2 million patients. About 26,000 doctors are registered on MARHAM across 121 cities and towns in Pakistan. MARHAM says 138 specialties are registered on its platform. About 2 million new people each month search for doctors on MARHAM. [1]

MARHAM says it verifies the validity of doctors' degrees through the PMDC website. It says onboarding a doctor takes almost three business days. It asks patients for feedback after every appointment. Doctor registration on MARHAM is free. Using MARHAM's EMR is a paid option for doctors. [1]

Patients pay nothing for the platform beyond the doctor's fee. MARHAM has a helpline center. About 30% of MARHAM bookings are online consultations and about 70% are in person. Imam and Omar say online consultation saves patients a great deal of cost. [1]

Funding and finances

MARHAM says it is profitable and self-sustainable. It says it was self-sustainable and cash flow positive from 2018 to 2021. Imam says he wanted to build something self-sustainable. MARHAM did not plan to raise investment at first, because healthcare is a very sensitive industry. [1]

MARHAM raised a seed round. The seed investment was about $1 million, according to Imam and Omar. They say the business grew about 400% after raising the investment. [1]

Views

Imam asks who will work for Pakistan if people like him do not. Imam and Omar say a lot of women do not have the freedom or transportation. They say MARHAM gives early-career doctors a chance to prove themselves. Omar says people were not working on user experiences and design, meaning how people will use software. [1]

Timeline

2010
Asma Salman Omar studied computer science.[1]
2013
Ehsan Imam joined Confiz.[1]
2016
Ehsan Imam's time at Confiz ended, when MARHAM started.[1]
2018
MARHAM says it became self-sustainable and cash flow positive, a position it says lasted until 2021.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2022-10-12 The doctor you couldn't find in three days Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar?

Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar are the people behind MARHAM, a platform for finding doctors and booking appointments in Pakistan. Ehsan Imam graduated in computer science from the University of Central Punjab. Asma Salman Omar studied computer science in 2010 and suggested the name Marham.[1]

What does MARHAM do?

MARHAM describes itself as an end-to-end service covering doctor search, booking, online consultation, home diagnostics and medicine delivery. Patients choose a doctor and an available time slot. After a consultation, the doctor sends an e-prescription to the patient.[1]

Where did Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar study?

Ehsan Imam graduated in computer science from the University of Central Punjab. Asma Salman Omar studied at the University of Sargodha and studied computer science in 2010. She completed her schooling in Air Force schools.[1]

Where is Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar from?

Both Ehsan Imam and Asma Salman Omar were born in Lahore. Imam grew up in the streets of Lahore. Omar spent most of her childhood in Sargodha.[1]

What is Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar known for?

Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar are known for their link to MARHAM, which started in 2016. Imam worked at Confiz until 2016, when MARHAM started. Omar suggested the name Marham.[1]

Who named MARHAM?

The name Marham was suggested by Asma Salman Omar. She also studied computer science in 2010.[1]

How many people use MARHAM, according to Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar?

Ehsan Imam & Asma Salman Omar say about 30 million people have used the MARHAM platform so far. MARHAM says it has served 1.5 to 2 million patients. About 26,000 doctors are registered on MARHAM across 121 cities and towns in Pakistan.[1]

What did Ehsan Imam do before MARHAM?

Ehsan Imam worked remotely from Pakistan for an international organization that had no office in Pakistan. He joined Confiz around 2013 and led the development side of a large engagement with Microsoft. He worked at Confiz until 2016, when MARHAM started.[1]

References

  1. The doctor you couldn't find in three days . Thought Behind Things , 2022-10-12.
Show the source passages (67 statements)
  1. Ehsan Imam was born in Lahore and did his early education at a local school there. main jo hai Lahore mein paida hua aur early education jo hai maine Lahore se li, ek local school se
  2. Ehsan Imam grew up in the streets of Lahore. Lahore ki galiyon mein bada hua
  3. Ehsan Imam has nine siblings. behan bhai, I have nine siblings
  4. Ehsan Imam's sister is a doctor. Meri jo sister hain woh bhi doctor hain
  5. Ehsan Imam's father was a government servant who worked in the railways. mere father jo hain government servant the, railway mein unhone job ki
  6. Ehsan Imam graduated in computer science from the University of Central Punjab. I get into Punjab College and I graduated from University of Central Punjab in CS.
  7. Ehsan Imam worked remotely from Pakistan for an international organization that had no office in Pakistan. international organization jiska Pakistan mein us tarah se office nahi tha. So, the name is Affordable Programmers and main remotely yahan se unke saath kaam karta tha
  8. Ehsan Imam's remote employer was an organization based in Canada. I started working in Canada toh unki jo organization thi Canada mein thi.
  9. Ehsan Imam says he found the opportunity through online forums where he read, wrote and shared. Toh different forums ke upar padhna, likhna, wahan pe share karna toh I find the opportunity over there.
  10. Ehsan Imam joined a local company in Pakistan. joined a local company here in Pakistan jiska naam Nextbridge hai
  11. Ehsan Imam worked at one company for about four to five years. jiska naam Techlines hai. I worked there for like four five years
  12. Ehsan Imam says he was pushed into management very quickly. I was pushed into management very quickly
  13. Ehsan Imam says he became team lead of people who each had about ten years of experience. I become team lead of those people jinka 10-10 saal ka experience tha
  14. Ehsan Imam joined Confiz around 2013, which he places in the middle of that year. And then I joined Confiz Solutions in 2013 or 14. 13, maybe mid 13.
  15. At Confiz he led the development side of a large engagement with Microsoft. fortunately in Confiz there was like a big engagement going on which is with Microsoft and and and fortunately I was leading that effort from development perspective
  16. He worked at Confiz until 2016, when MARHAM started. then I worked in Confiz till 2016. And that's when sort of Marham started.
  17. Ehsan Imam says all the companies he worked for were based in the US or Canada. maine jitni bhi career mein companies ke saath kaam kiya hai woh saari US based ya Canadian based company thi
  18. Ehsan Imam asks who will work for Pakistan if people like him do not. Toh Pakistan ke liye hum kaam nahi karenge toh kaun karega?
  19. Ehsan Imam could not find a doctor for his father for three days. I was unable to find a doctor for my father for like three days
  20. Ehsan Imam resigned from his company. main utha aur maine apni company mein resign diya
  21. A community connected to the founders went viral and had about 5,000 members within a few weeks. that community went viral Aur hamare paas like in a few weeks they were like 5,000 members
  22. The name Marham was suggested by Asma Salman Omar. yeh jo Marham name hai woh Asma has a suggested name
  23. Ehsan Imam says the idea was to collect data and put together a strong database of doctors. why not to collect this data and put together a strong database of the doctors
  24. The early team joined because they shared the same objective. they were like beautiful people who have joined Marham just because they share the same objective
  25. The guests say MARHAM gives early-career doctors a chance to prove themselves. To Marham kya kar raha hai ke un early doctors ko ek opportunity provide kar raha hai to prove themselves
  26. Asma Salman Omar was born in Lahore, and her father was a Pakistan Air Force officer. I was born in Lahore primarily, but my father was a Pakistan Air Force officer.
  27. Asma Salman Omar spent most of her childhood in Sargodha. maine sabse zyada jo apna bachpan ya jo you know early years woh Sargodha mein guzare
  28. Asma Salman Omar completed her schooling in Air Force schools. woh Air Force ke schools mein hi education hasil ki
  29. Her family got a computer at home when she was in ninth class. like I was in my like ninth class jab you know we got a computer in our home
  30. Asma Salman Omar says she learned everything online. Sab kuch online seekha tha. Interesting. 100%.
  31. She studied at the University of Sargodha. maine jo university se Sargodha University se taleem hasil ki thi
  32. Asma Salman Omar's parents thought she could become a doctor. mere parents ne yeh socha ke yaar she can be you know a doctor ban sakti hai
  33. Asma Salman Omar's father told her to study computer science. So my father came back to home and he said to me ke tum computer hi padh lo.
  34. Asma Salman Omar studied computer science in 2010. Yeah, 2010 mein maine apna computer science kiya tha.
  35. Asma Salman Omar says she won first prize in a competition. I won there as well. I got the first prize
  36. Asma Salman Omar says she used to give classes and sessions to master's students. even I used to give you know classes to masters ke woh hum sessions karte hote the
  37. Asma Salman Omar says she loved the culture at Confiz, which was doing big projects like Microsoft and Intel. I loved the culture at Confiz and how they were like doing you know big projects like Microsoft, Intel
  38. Asma Salman Omar met Ehsan Imam at Confiz. I get a chance to you know meet with Ehsan at Confiz
  39. Asma Salman Omar was working on user experience design at Confiz. because main Confiz mein user experience design ke upar kaam kar rahi thi
  40. Asma Salman Omar says people were not working on user experiences and design, meaning how people will use software. user experiences, design, how people will be using those softwares uske upar log kaam nahi kar rahe
  41. MARHAM has an app variant for doctors called Marham Connect. doctor ke paas bhi Marham ki hi app ka ek variant hai Marham Connect
  42. MARHAM describes itself as an end-to-end service covering doctor search, booking, online consultation, home diagnostics and medicine delivery. Marham is currently an end to end based experience jahan pe aap finding a doctor to booking an appointment to consult doctor online to have diagnostics from home and deliver medicine
  43. MARHAM delivers medicines in a few cities. we also deliver medicines in few cities now
  44. The guests say about 30 million people have used the MARHAM platform so far. takreeban 30 million yani ke 3 crore se zaid logon ne Marham ka platform abhi tak istemaal kiya hai
  45. MARHAM says it has served 1.5 to 2 million patients. 15 se 20 lakh patients ko serve kiya hai
  46. About 26,000 doctors are registered on MARHAM across 121 cities and towns in Pakistan. Pakistan ke 121 shehron aur towns se hamare paas jo hain woh 26,000 ke qareeb doctors is platform ke upar registered hain
  47. MARHAM says 138 specialties are registered on its platform. 138 specialties hamare paas register hain
  48. Patients choose a doctor and an available time slot. aap ek doctor select karenge aap apna apni pasand ka available time slot select karenge
  49. After a consultation, the doctor sends an e-prescription to the patient. doctor will you know just press a button ki you know send this prescription to patient
  50. MARHAM says it verifies the validity of doctors' degrees through the PMDC website. aur PMDC ki website se hum unki wo tamam jo degrees hain, unki validity ko verify karte hain
  51. MARHAM says onboarding a doctor takes almost three business days. we take almost three business days to, you know, call that doctor, verify that information
  52. MARHAM asks patients for feedback after every appointment. after every appointment, hum ek jo hai feedback ka ek process run karte hain
  53. Doctor registration on MARHAM is free. hamare platform pe doctor ki jo registration hai jo hamara pehla point tha ke hum chahte hain accessibility ko improve karna that's free.
  54. Using MARHAM's EMR is a paid option for doctors. If you would like to use EMR there is a different fee for that
  55. Patients pay nothing for the platform beyond the doctor's fee. Patient don't have to pay anything other than a doctor's fee.
  56. MARHAM says it is profitable and self-sustainable. we are one of the one of the startups jinhone profitability achieve ki hai and we are self-sustainable
  57. MARHAM says it was self-sustainable and cash flow positive from 2018 to 2021. after 2018 we were self-sustainable cash flow positive startup and till 2021 we were a self-sustainable startup
  58. MARHAM raised a seed round. we raised a seed round with Indus Valley Capital
  59. The seed investment was about $1 million, the guests say. It's a like $1 million investment.
  60. The guests say the business grew about 400% after raising the investment. humne 400% grow kiya by raising that investment
  61. MARHAM did not plan to raise investment at first, because healthcare is a very sensitive industry. initially hamara yeh idea nahi tha ke hum investment raise karenge. Why? Because health care is very sensitive industry.
  62. Ehsan Imam says he wanted to build something self-sustainable. I said ke nahi yaar main self-sustainable cheez banana chahta hoon
  63. About 2 million new people each month search for doctors on MARHAM. takreeban 2 million log har mahine naye log aate hain jo hamare platform pe doctors ko search karte hain
  64. MARHAM has a helpline center. we do have a helpline center as well
  65. About 30% of MARHAM bookings are online consultations and about 70% are in person. jo online consultations hain woh takreeban you know total bookings ka 30% hain aur physical consultations ki taraf abhi 70% ka
  66. The guests say a lot of women do not have the freedom or transportation. a lot of women don't have access to or do not have the freedom or transportation
  67. The guests say online consultation saves patients a great deal of cost. jo online consultation hai woh bahut zyada cost save karta hai