A Lebanese firm has launched the country’s first medical website offering medical advice in English, French and Arabic, reported the Daily Star newspaper on Saturday.
The initiative, said the paper, is designed to help spread public awareness and perhaps contribute to efforts to cut Lebanon's $800 million annual healthcare bill.
Located at www.toubibonline.com, the site includes medical news, a Q&A section and a drug-search tool, said the paper.
Site manager Suzan Tarabey, who has a PhD in Pharmacology, collects and writes the medical information, while computer programmer, Jalal Fawaz, maintains the site.
The website, however, is not without flaws, according to the paper.
A drug-search failed to find the common pain-reliever, Panadol; while, on the day of its launch, a number of featured sites were either not functioning or still incomplete.
On a more positive side, the site is currently featuring a forum on the differences between the male and female skeletal structures. The site also features articles on a variety of health issues, which are updated regularly.
According to Tarabey: "Our website is based on the vision that people should manage their personal health with reliable information."
Adding that, "Toubibonline is the first and only medical website in the Arab world," however, other sites like Arab Doctors Net, Arab Medical Magazine and Egypt Medical Net can also be found online, she said – Albawaba.com
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