TELECONSULTATION AT PHAU
Public Health Ambassadors Uganda (PHAU), stands for three small words; prevent, promote and protect. We have made access to information on sexual, and reproductive health& rights even easier with our teleconsultation.
Starting teleconsultation.
In March 2021, we created a call center where people can call in for free, and ask about “B-free” menstrual cups This quickly expanded towards sexual reproductive health& rights and family planning. Teleconsultation was a valuable tool during the Covid-19 lockdown. PHAU is one of the very few youth organizations that have such an outreach program and the fun part is that youth from the remotest areas in Uganda can contact us. Since the creation of the call center, we have been carrying out teleconsultation and the most common areas of inquiry by callers are; family planning and HIV/AIDS. The number of callers is steadily increasing each month. Some call from as far as; Mpigi, Bugiri, Jinja, and Karamoja districts. Slowly but surely we are moving towards guiding and counseling our fellow youth over longer distances within Uganda.
PHAU really does care.
At PHAU, we are aware that the majority of Ugandans are living on less than one dollar a day and that for those people, to buy credit for a phone call might mean starvation. This is why our call center line is free, even those who cannot afford can afford it. Our toll-free number (0800300600) is broadcast all over the country through; PHAU-trained peer educators, radio advertisements & complimentary materials that we give out during various field projects. Support from our different partners makes this possible.
Does teleconsultation help?
Yes! Once a person calls PHAU, our information resources and team members are at their service. We then proceed to give them information on issues around; sexual health, gender-based violence, menstrual hygiene, family planning as well as, HIV/AIDS & other health-related issues. The toll-free avails callers the privacy to ask even those questions that would have been embarrassing for them to ask in a face-to-face setting. It also gives them the capacity to ask as many questions as they want without worrying about the cost of the call. Some callers have called twice, some even thrice to either clarify or, ask a follow-up question.
In a nutshell.
Our toll-free center has proved to be a priceless instrument in reaching out to our fellow youth. Public well-being is our dedication. With more support, the toll-free call center at PHAU has the potential to evolve into a full-blown teleconsultation service. The team is willing and passionate, the information is available, donate to PHAU and let’s scale it up to accommodate as many young people and youths.
