Tanha Tabassum at Karachi Health Summit

Tanha Tabassum, Founder and CEO of UK-based digital health company NeuroCheck Pro, joined the fourth International Conference on Digital Health at Health Asia 2026 in Karachi as an international speaker, highlighting how digital pathways can help address delays in neurodevelopmental assessment and expand access to healthcare.

The conference was held from September 10 to 12 at the Karachi Expo Centre under the theme “Transforming Healthcare Through Digital Innovation and Emerging Technologies.” It was organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Center for Digital Health, Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, and Health Asia. The programme focused on digital health, artificial intelligence, telehealth and emerging healthcare technologies.

The 23rd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences, of which the digital health conference was a part, is one of Pakistan’s largest annual healthcare and medical-industry gatherings. More than 400 healthcare brands, over 650 exhibition booths and participants from more than 24 countries were reported at this year’s event. Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the three-day forum.

At the digital health conference, Tabassum presented the experience of NeuroCheck Pro, a platform designed to digitally support ADHD and autism screening, assessment and clinician-led diagnosis.

Her central argument was that long diagnostic waiting periods should not be viewed simply as an inconvenience for patients. Rather, she described them as a capacity problem in healthcare systems that were not originally designed to handle the scale of today’s demand.

NeuroCheck Pro is designed to allow patients to begin the assessment journey independently while giving clinicians structured information that can support the clinical assessment process.

According to the company, its platform provides a three-stage pathway: Explore, a free initial screening; Understand, a more detailed self-guided assessment; and Confirm, a clinician-led assessment involving a video consultation and formal diagnostic report.

The platform currently supports ADHD, autism and combined ADHD-autism presentations for adults, children and young people. NeuroCheck Pro says its clinical assessments are conducted by registered clinicians and use validated, evidence-based instruments aligned with NICE guidance.

The company’s technology model combines digital assessment with clinical oversight. Co-founder Arshad Ahmed brings more than 15 years of experience in data science, machine learning and MLOps, while founding clinician Dr Dinesh Kannan is a consultant psychiatrist specialising in neurodevelopmental conditions including ADHD and autism.

NeuroCheck Pro also lists Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed as an advisor. The company describes him as a physician, strategist and telemedicine pioneer who has worked on digital health services in Pakistan and the wider region since 1998. He is currently advising the company as it develops partnerships with clinicians and healthcare organisations in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East.

Tabassum also participated in a roundtable involving Pakistani government officials, health-sector leaders and representatives from civil society and development organisations. She shared her perspective on accelerating the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions in Pakistan and on the role technology could play in expanding access.

She said no single platform could close such a large healthcare gap on its own. Technology can expand opportunity, she argued, but meaningful progress depends on clinicians, healthcare organisations, policymakers and technology companies working together.

According to Tabassum, discussions with Pakistan’s medical community focused less on whether technology should be incorporated into healthcare and more on how it can be incorporated without compromising clinical judgement.

The World Health Organization defines telemedicine as the delivery of healthcare over distance using information and communication technologies for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, research and continuing education of health workers.

WHO says telemedicine can extend healthcare coverage and improve access, particularly when supported by appropriate infrastructure, governance, investment, trained health workers and clear policies. Its guidance also stresses that digital health services need to be designed around patient needs and equitable access.

A WHO policy brief published in 2025 describes telemedicine as one component of the broader telehealth ecosystem. Telehealth can also include remote diagnostic services, health education, remote monitoring and administrative digital functions.

Digital health is also becoming increasingly important across the WHO South-East Asia Region. In 2026, WHO consultations on the next global digital health strategy highlighted telemedicine, digital public infrastructure, disease surveillance, supply-chain management and data-driven governance as important parts of digital transformation in health systems.

Against this wider backdrop, NeuroCheck Pro is focused on a specific healthcare bottleneck: reducing friction in neurodevelopmental assessment while keeping clinicians involved in the formal diagnostic process.

The company says its clinical data is encrypted in transit and at rest, hosted on AWS infrastructure in London, and not shared without explicit consent. Its app also allows users to export or delete their data, according to the company and its current app listing.

Tabassum described the Karachi visit as her first trip to Pakistan and thanked Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed for the invitation and hospitality. She said the experience left a strong impression and created opportunities for further dialogue around digital healthcare in the region.

Tabassum is the daughter-in-law of Bangladeshi diplomat Abida Islam, who has served as Bangladesh’s ambassador to South Korea and Mexico and as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

NeuroCheck Pro’s official website identifies Tabassum as its Founder and CEO. It says she brings experience in complex financial-crime investigations at leading UK financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, as well as senior board and trustee experience, which she now applies to building accessible health technology solutions.
//DBTech/IH/SHIC/BPO//