By: Mathias Amoah
Vodafone Ghana Foundation has announces the first
anniversary of its HealthLine 255, a medical call centre, which allows
Ghanaians to call doctors and nurses for expert advice on health issues.
Healthline 255, which is an extension of the Healthline, has
provided advice to over 80, 000 Ghanaians since it was launched. It has also
dispelled the many myths surrounding health, educated Ghanaians against
self-medication and encouraged early diagnosis and treatment among others.
During the past year, 47% of the calls to the centre have
been from people aged 25 to 44 years, while 35% of the calls were from people
aged 15 to 24 years. The majority of the calls received were from the Upper
East, Upper West, Northern, Greater Accra and Western regions representing over
65% of the calls.
The various medical complaints handled by the centre include
sexual health related cases, headache, abdominal pains, back pains and
depression.
The Foundation and Sustainability Manager for the Vodafone
Ghana Foundation, Afriyie Ofori-Koree, said: “We have had several instances of
Healthline255 saving people’s lives in life threatening situations. An example
is a timely advice that helped a lady who had been bleeding excessively due to
an unsafe abortion.
“Also, an imminent heart attack on a 46-year-old woman was
averted as a result of the timely advice by the service.”
She explained that in the wake of the recent outbreak of
Ebola and Cholera, Healthline255 has been playing a pivotal role in educating
and allaying the fears of the public on both conditions.
“This has been further enhanced by making the service
accessible to subscribers of other networks through the number 050 5050500.
Vodafone customers however continue to access service via the short code 255
daily from 4pm to 10pm.”
She said over the past year, Healthline255 has delivered on
its promise and has indeed played a major role in quality healthcare delivery
in Ghana by offering expert medical advice and information.
“Quality healthcare advice has certainly become just a phone
call away to all Ghanaians irrespective of their socio-economic background,”
Afriyie said.
The Foundation said it will continue to play a key role in
the health sector by introducing innovative initiatives to enhance health
delivery in the country.
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