The paper register
Nothing to learn and nothing to pay for, which is exactly why it survives. It fails on volume: finding a patient from eight months ago means turning pages, nothing is backed up, and the day’s takings are whatever the drawer says.
Compare the options
Paper, Excel, an imported EMR, or this
Most clinics here are choosing between four things, and three of them are free or already paid for. Here is what each one genuinely handles, including the places where SehatDoc is the wrong answer.
Side by side
The jobs a Pakistani clinic needs doing
Scored on what the option does on its own, without someone manually bridging the gap.
| What you need to do | SehatDoc | Paper register | Excel sheets | Imported EMR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searchable patient history | SehatDoc, Searchable patient history: yes | Paper register, Searchable patient history: no | Excel sheets, Searchable patient history: partly, or by hand | Imported EMR, Searchable patient history: yes |
| Roman Urdu and Urdu prescriptions | SehatDoc, Roman Urdu and Urdu prescriptions: yes | Paper register, Roman Urdu and Urdu prescriptions: yes | Excel sheets, Roman Urdu and Urdu prescriptions: no | Imported EMR, Roman Urdu and Urdu prescriptions: no |
| WhatsApp reminders to patients | SehatDoc, WhatsApp reminders to patients: yes | Paper register, WhatsApp reminders to patients: no | Excel sheets, WhatsApp reminders to patients: no | Imported EMR, WhatsApp reminders to patients: no |
| Separate doctor and reception portals | SehatDoc, Separate doctor and reception portals: yes | Paper register, Separate doctor and reception portals: no | Excel sheets, Separate doctor and reception portals: no | Imported EMR, Separate doctor and reception portals: partly, or by hand |
| Pharmacy stock and counter sales | SehatDoc, Pharmacy stock and counter sales: yes | Paper register, Pharmacy stock and counter sales: partly, or by hand | Excel sheets, Pharmacy stock and counter sales: partly, or by hand | Imported EMR, Pharmacy stock and counter sales: no |
| JazzCash and EasyPaisa on the invoice | SehatDoc, JazzCash and EasyPaisa on the invoice: yes | Paper register, JazzCash and EasyPaisa on the invoice: yes | Excel sheets, JazzCash and EasyPaisa on the invoice: partly, or by hand | Imported EMR, JazzCash and EasyPaisa on the invoice: no |
| Daily closing and monthly finance view | SehatDoc, Daily closing and monthly finance view: yes | Paper register, Daily closing and monthly finance view: partly, or by hand | Excel sheets, Daily closing and monthly finance view: partly, or by hand | Imported EMR, Daily closing and monthly finance view: yes |
| Automatic off-site backup | SehatDoc, Automatic off-site backup: yes | Paper register, Automatic off-site backup: no | Excel sheets, Automatic off-site backup: no | Imported EMR, Automatic off-site backup: yes |
| Priced and billed in rupees | SehatDoc, Priced and billed in rupees: yes | Paper register, Priced and billed in rupees: yes | Excel sheets, Priced and billed in rupees: yes | Imported EMR, Priced and billed in rupees: no |
| Works with a dropped connection | SehatDoc, Works with a dropped connection: yes | Paper register, Works with a dropped connection: yes | Excel sheets, Works with a dropped connection: yes | Imported EMR, Works with a dropped connection: partly, or by hand |
Handles it Partly, or by hand Not really
The trade-offs
What each option is actually good at
None of these is a bad choice in every situation. They are bad choices in different ones.
Excel sheets
A real improvement for lists, and plenty of clinics run on one. But a sheet cannot print a prescription, cannot message a patient, and one mistyped cell quietly changes every total that depends on it.
Imported EMR systems
Usually well built, and usually built for somewhere else. Expect English-only patient output, card-first billing, licence fees quoted in dollars, and no answer for the pharmacy counter at the front of the clinic.
SehatDoc
The trade-off here is that it is specific. It assumes a Pakistani clinic — Roman Urdu instructions, WhatsApp, cash and wallet payments, an attached pharmacy, rupee pricing. If you are not running that kind of practice, something else may fit you better.
Switching
What clinics ask before they move
Mostly about cost, data and what happens if it does not work out.
Still unsure? Send us the question and a person — not a bot — will answer it.
We already use Excel. What do we actually gain by switching?
Three things a spreadsheet cannot do: print a prescription on your letterhead, message the patient on WhatsApp, and keep the pharmacy counter working off the same record. If none of those matter to your clinic, Excel is a reasonable place to stay.
Can we move our existing patient records into SehatDoc?
Yes, and you do not have to do it before you start. Most clinics begin with new visits and let old patients come across as they return. If you have records in a spreadsheet, send them to us and we will import them for you.
Is SehatDoc cheaper than an international EMR?
Usually, and more predictably, because plans are quoted in rupees and do not move with the exchange rate. SehatDoc starts at PKR 4,000 per month for a single doctor, with onboarding and support included rather than charged separately.
What happens to our data if we stop using SehatDoc?
You ask for an export and we give you your patients, visits, prescriptions and invoices in a readable format. There is no exit fee and no notice period beyond the month you have already paid for.
Our clinic has no reliable internet. Is cloud software a risk?
SehatDoc keeps working on the device when the connection drops and syncs once it returns, so a consultation is never blocked by the line. A paper register is immune to outages, but it is also immune to backups — a flood, a fire or a lost book takes the records with it.
Try it with next week's patients
Plans start at PKR 4,000 a month, billed in rupees, with setup and staff training included. Bring over next week's patients and see whether the evening session runs any easier.
Setup help and staff training are included on every plan.