Medical Teams International Responds to Widespread Humanitarian Needs in Ethiopias Tigray Region and Eastern Sudan pressreleasepoint.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressreleasepoint.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2021-05-20 07:31:17 GMT2021-05-20 15:31:17(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
ADDIS ABABA, May 20 (Xinhua) The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday announced partnership with the Ethiopian government to reactivate a toll-free COVID-19 call center in the country s conflict-affected Tigray region.
The center, which was relaunched recently with an aim to expand the scope for COVID-19-related information, is expected to provide health information on a wide range of health issues ranging from COVID-19 to diseases such as malaria, measles, cholera and meningitis, the WHO announced in a statement.
The COVID-19 call center discontinued its operations in November 2020 after a conflict broke out in the region. Before the conflict, the call center had been receiving an average of about 20,000 calls per week from individuals seeking COVID-19 related information, it was noted.
The Tigray Region toll-free call center 6244 was relaunched in Mekelle on April 29, 2021 in an event officiated by the Head of Tigray Regional Health Bureau and in the presence of health partners, representatives of Ethio Telecom in Tigray, newly deployed staff of the call center, representatives of regional media and World Health Organization (WHO) staff.
Before discontinuing operations in November 2020, the call center had been receiving an average of 20,000 calls per week from individuals seeking COVID-19 related information. The reactivated call center will have an expanded scope and will provide health information on a wide range of health issues ranging from COVID-19 to diseases such as malaria, measles, cholera and meningitis. The same hotline will also provide confidential counseling and referral service to victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In addition to these services, the toll-free call center will play a role in strengthening event-based surveillance