Mobile Access to Medical Services

In Bangladesh, where there is one doctor for every 4,000 people, this service represents a much-needed extension of existing primary healthcare services.

“I have a child who sometimes falls sick at odd hours. It is very difficult in our country to get a doctor at such hours. In situations like this I call Healthline without any hesitation. Their advices have been very effective. I rely heavily on Healthline for regular, day to day health related advice,” says Roxana Akhter, a frequent user of the Healthline service.

Consultations over the phone

HealthLine allows people to receive consultations over the phone and access a number of medical services, such as:

• Information on doctors and medical facilities
• Information on drugs and pharmacies
• Information on laboratory test reports (interpretation)
• Medical advice/ consultations from doctors
• Emergency advice

Health care in remote areas

Mobile communication and Internet can connect people in remote areas to basic utilities such as banking and health care, services which they would have to spend both time and money to get access to before. This is demonstrated in studies by the Boston Group and Deloitte.

“In the context of Bangladesh, Healthline service is a milestone as it increases the quality of life for a large number of people,” says Mir Jahir Uddin Ahmed, Head of Business products in Grameenphone.

An alternative resource for pharmacists

In Bangladesh many pharmacies have their own doctors for medical advice and treatment. Healthline is also used by several of these pharmacies as an alternative resource and as a facilitator of their services.

“When the doctor is unavailable, I call Healthline and explain the patient’s problem to the Healthline doctors and give the patients the medicine prescribed by Healthline. Their advices have always been very helpful for my customers,” says Javed Miah, a pharmacist in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

Saves time, money and lives

The Healthline service can help people both save time and money, and sometimes even saves lives. In cases of certain epidemics (eg. Dengue fever), the service has helped people take preventive measures against diseases by taking proper precautions. Healthline can also be used to stop further deterioration or complication of a contracted disease by providing proper directions to patients.

Improved service

HealthLine was launched in 2006 in cooperation with Telemedicine Reference Center Limited. Since then, HealthLine has increased its capacity and become easier to use.

Available also to non-Grameenphone subscribers

Even those who have not got a Grameenphone subscription or even a mobile phone are able to access HealthLine services through Community Information Centres and Village Phones.

Global award to HealthLine

In 2007, the HealthLine service won the GSM Association Award for “Best Use of Mobile for Social & Economic Development” at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona.