A new program in Bangladesh successfully transmits medical information and health care to remote areas
By Seema Khan, Give2Asia Finance Associate
In the past few years, mobile phones have been taking on a new purpose in the developing world. Being a relatively cheap tool for communication and increasingly accessible, mobile phones are being used to transmit medical information and deliver health care in remote areas. There are several organizations currently exploring the potential for mobile phones to expand the current reaches of health care.
One organization, FrontlineSMS:Medic, uses three major components to create a network of communication between clinics and people far from medical care. The heart of the network is a software program, FrontlineSMS, which creates a large-scale two-way text messaging network through a laptop. This software, used with a GSM (global system for mobile communication) modem and cell phones, completes the platform for communication. With the laptop and modem based at a central clinic and mobile phones distributed to community health workers (CHWs) stationed at remote villages, the system enables fast, real-time communication between remote areas and clinics.


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