Ministry, firms seal health deal

Zantel Tanzania on Tuesday sealed a business deal with BR Solutions and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to deliver health services through mobile phones.

Zantel Chief Human Resources Officer, Francis Kiaga, told reporters in Dar es Salaam  that under the signed agreement, Zantel subscribers can simply call and discuss their health problems with healthcare providers and doctors through phones.

“By using cutting edge technology, phone doctor service will enable users to connect with doctors via phone for non-emergency medical attention from the comfort of their homes,” said Mr Kiaga, noting that the service seeks to improve health services by providing immediate telephone access to Certified Physicians and Doctors through Zantel help line numbers.

The Phone Doctor Service showcases Zantel’s latest innovation in mobile technology. “Zantel has invested heavily in research and will keep coming up with new technologies that impact positively on people’s lives,” added Mr Kiaga.

BR Solutions Managing Director, Richard Njau, said the service will offer relief to many Tanzanians because there are many non-urgent issues that people face on a day to day and end up asking wrong people.

“This service is quick, convenient and can be conducted anywhere,” said Mr Njau, mentioning the advantages of the new service as instant reassurance and easy accessibility from wherever the patient is calling from.

One of the doctors who will be involved in the Phone Doctor Service, Dr Aidan Njau from Aga Khan Hospital said the service is good and they are determined to make it a success.

The service will cover diseases like Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Diarrhoea, Tuberculosis, Cancer awareness, Heart Diseases, Malaria and Maternity Issues.

Zantel, a subsidiary of Etisalat group, was established in 1999 as Zanzibar Telecom Ltd and it has been the telecommunications service provider in the United Arab Emirates since 1976 with footprints in 18 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Source: The Daily News reported from Dar es Salaam

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