Health Service through Mobile Phone
Our citizens can take health suggestions for free now from doctors working in government health centers. For this a mobile phone has been given to each district and sub-district hospital of Bangladesh. The numbers of these mobile phones have been publicized locally.
These numbers are also given in the website of Directorate General of Health Services (www.dghs.gov.bd). Doctors receive calls in these numbers 24 hours. Local people can receive free health suggestions by calling these numbers without need for coming to hospitals in person. Busy persons can also take medical help at the beginning of any disease. The risk of complication of diseases is lessened this way.
This service has created opportunity to get medical advice by rich or poor people living particularly in rural areas. Medical advice now may be instantly available no matter whether it is late night, an acute health problem or long distance from hospital. For conditions where patients do not need to come to hospital, they can do so by taking advice through mobile phone. There is no need of coming to sub-district or district hospitals for those treatments which are possible from village community clinics. The service helps citizens avoid informal healers that may lead them to complications of diseases.
Many people come to out-patient departments of the government hospitals. It often becomes difficult to provide service with limited man-power and medicine. If health service through mobile phone gets wide publicity, a lot of people will be able to take health service from their residence. The pressure over the hospitals will be lessened this way. Then, with limited man-power and resource it will be possible to provide better treatment to the patients coming there. Thus, satisfaction of the patients will be increased.