In a developing nation like Bangladesh, rural healthcare is of particular concern. Villages and suburbs often find themselves lacking the key, valuable training to save lives, or access to qualified staff to tackle emergency situations. This is why Community Paramedics (CPs) play such a crucial role in the healthcare infrastructures of rural communities throughout Bangladesh. Rural areas where there is a distinct lack of doctors, these CPs are often the sole healthcare providers and emergency responders – and the difference between life and death for many individuals in their communities.

Thanks to the initiatives of many institutions nationwide, there are now programs offering CP training programs to ensure there are always opportunities for qualified people to work within these communities. Most of these institutions are based in suburban areas, but the students will often come from all over the country.

Auleek has recently collaborated with two such institutions: DevLearn and Swisscontact Bangladesh’s ASTHA program to introduce a dimension of technology for these institutions. After numerous conversations with the teachers of these institutions, we discovered that Human Anatomy is an important part of the curriculum – one, often difficult to teach using traditional methods. The outgoing modus operandi for teaching human anatomy was the conventional array of PowerPoint slides and plastic anatomy models.

We worked closely with the ASTHA team and their medical advisors to select 5 topics from their human anatomy curriculum. We found all the teachers in the training institutes to have laptops in the classrooms, albeit not the most powerful. So we developed a non-demanding Windows-based application of low-performance demands which should run smoothly on the most basic of computers.

This application was built using Unity3D, wherein an interactive 3D model showcases different parts of the human anatomy. The teachers use the application during the class to give students an in-depth understanding of the human body and to provide better preparedness in the event of handling a medical emergency. The application also features a “quiz” section which the teachers would run at the end of each class to evaluate the progress of the students.

To add to the teaching and learning experiences, we have also developed a companion VR application to offer an immersive up-close look at the anatomical subjects being studied. This has proven a more engaging method for the students and teachers alike, and – running on OculusGo – far less bulky than the traditional plastic anatomy models. 

The immersion in VR notwithstanding, the students have also expressed their excitement in exploring the 3D models inside of the VR headsets – bringing a certain level of enthusiasm to the learning process.

The teams at Auleek are very happy to have had the opportunity to play a role in improving healthcare for rural communities. And we hope to continue working with the ASTHA team and DevLearn to provide more technology-based solutions to help those that save lives.