Grameenphone Ltd., in cooperation with Telemedicine Reference Center Limited (TRCL), is going to launch a Health Information and Service known as HealthLine for all GP subscribers from November 4, 2006 (Saturday).

The HealthLine Service is a 24-hour Medical Call Center manned by Licensed Physicians and accessible to all Grameenphone subscribers. It can be reached by dialing 789 from any GP mobile phone.

The proposed service is an interactive teleconference between a GP caller seeking health- related advice or consultation and a licensed physician who would be available on a 24 hours a day and 7 days a week basis, to receive such calls. This effort of Grameenphone is primarily intended to enhance the health consciousness of an individual by making a few categories of health information and medical services readily available to him over a phone call.

In the context of Bangladesh, where there is an average of about one Registered Physician for every 4,000 people, this service may weigh significantly in reaching primary healthcare to the common people. Some of the services initially available under this program include:

”¢    Information on Doctor and Medical Facilities
”¢    ï€ Information on Drug or Pharmacy
”¢    Information on Laboratory Test Report (interpretation)
”¢    Medical Advice/ Consultation from Doctor (for registered subscribers)
”¢    ï€ Help and advice during Medical Emergency

Moreover, a caller who would register himself for the service, would get consultation and treatment advice over telephone from a licensed physician for both emergency and non-emergency situations. Registration is not mandatory for other services. Calls to HealthLine number 789 will be charged at Tk 15  for the first 3 minutes and at the rate of Tk 5/minute for the following minutes. GP subscribers seeking to register for the online consultation service will have to pay a one-time application processing fee (Tk 200 only) and an annual membership fee of Tk 300 only.

In addition to the above, a subscriber would be able to request his/ her pathology/ radiology test reports, from designated Diagnostic Centers, to be sent via SMS to his phone. The SMS would be followed next day by the delivery of the report at the customer's mailing address. An SMS report would be charged @Tk 10 only.
 Initially, the Medical Call Center has been established with facilities to entertain a maximum of 15 calls simultaneously. The software contents for the operation of the Call Center and for dispensation of online consultation have been procured from FONMED USA.

To start with, a data base on the relevant information on the Registered Doctors (8,000+), Clinics, Hospitals, Medical Facilities (850+), Diagnostic Center (250+) & Drugs has been created. More services, facilities, deliverables and information to the Data Base would be gradually added, at the Call Center, as the demand for such services grows. GP hopes to offer this telemedicine services also from its Community Information Centers, soon.

Thus, Grameenphone seeks to make mobile communication and technology solutions available to the wider community by introducing such cutting-edge services.

Frank Fodstad, DMD, Kafil H. S. Muyeed, Director, New Business, A.M.M. Yahya, Director Fiber Optics Network and Syed Yamin Bakht, GM, Information and Dr. Sikdar M. Zakir, MD, TRCL were present on the occasion.
 

Information Department

Grameenphone Ltd.