Vodafone launches new call service on Ebola

Vodafone Ghana Foundation in collaboration with Ghana Health Services (GHS), and Vantage Medical Solutions with support from World Health Organisation, (WHO) has launched the first ‘health worker-to-health worker’ call service on Ebola.

The new service would help provide health workers access to information, technical advice, guidance and support from the trained health worker call centre operators, on issues regarding the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), infection, prevention and control measures.

The 63 health workers who would be operating the call centre went through rigorous training on the EVD under the guidance of the GHS and WHO and the course include modules on Infection, prevention and control measures, psychosocial support, EVD surveillance, contact tracing and EVD clinical management to help give clinical advice to health workers in the field.

Mr Haris Broumidis, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, said the telecom operator is passionate about health and is proud to avail its mobile technology for the pioneering health initiative.

“Healthline 255 is the first medical call centre in Ghana and in Africa to offer a health worker-to-health worker advice. We believe that communications technologies can be used to address some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges; and we will continue to champion initiatives and build partnerships that improve the lives of people within our communities,” he said.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Director General, GHS, said while the Ebola outbreak is receding, it has not reached zero cases and there is the need for the country to remain vigilant.

He said the new service is a proactive measure to keep health workforce, who are the first line of respondents safe and healthy.

“Through this training health workers can readily access information, technical advice, guidance and support from a trained health worker call centre operator in familiar terminology when needed,” he added.

Dr MadgaRobalo, WHO Country Representative, underscored the importance of the initiative saying, “Since the Ebola outbreak, as many as 864 health workers were infected in West Africa of which 503 died”.

She said, it is crucial that constant support and training is provided to keep health workers safe especially when they are the first line of defence.