The First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan, has commissioned a new national call center on HIV/AIDS and related diseases that will operate under the umbrella of the National Agency for Control of AIDS. The call center will be a welcome resource for Nigerians.
Among Nigerian adults aged 15 to 49, the infection rate for HIV/AIDS is 3.9 percent. Nigeria has the third-largest population in the world of people living with HIV/AIDS.
According to the first lady, the increasing availability of telephony in Nigeria will help the agency disseminate and distribute information on diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Wireless provider Airtel Networks Limited will provide toll-free lines for subscribers to contact the call center and access information on HIV/AIDS, according to WorldStage News.
The First Lady commended Airtel for its contributions to the new call center venture.
During the announcement of the new call center, Dame Dr Jonathan, together with Mrs. Hajiya Amina Sambo – wife of Nigeria's Vice President – and the First Ladies of Rivers and Bayelsa States, observed that the growth of subscriber base of telecoms firms in Nigeria provides a strong platform for using telephony to drive health awareness.
“I believe that the establishment of this National Call Center will go a long way in strengthening our national response to HIV/AIDS, as is the case in other countries of the world, such as South Africa, the Philipines and India, who have used help lines and Call Centres successfully in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” she said.
Initially, the new call center will employ 30 agents trained to provide information, guidance and counseling to callers. All calls on a dedicated Airtel line 6222 are free.
Patience Jonathan recently spoke at a Nigerian Summit, advocating for a tighter focus on vaccinations to reduce child deaths, according to a release carried on HealthTechZone.
Edited by
Braden Becker
