Kerala - Kozhikode   

SMS for info on medical aid

KOZHIKODE: Short Message Service (SMS) is fast becoming an utilitarian service for the people of Kozhikode. Last Friday, they got the way to know the status of files in Revenue Department offices in the district collectorate through SMS, and this Friday they can lay their hands on info on medical aid.

District Collector A. Jayathilak, a medical graduate and the force behind the initiative, says the uniqueness of the project is that a person can get specific information on the availability of medical specialty through the service. The SMS service for medical information, titled ‘Dr. SMS,’ can be used by typing to the dedicated number (9446460600): health <space> pin code <space> facility; (for example: health 673004 heart). The reply SMS will give you the name of the hospital with facilities for treating heart diseases near your place, its address and phone number. Or, if you send an SMS: health <space> hospital name, you will get a reply providing you with the hospital number, facilities and specialties available. Again, if you want to check whether a particular specialty is there in a particular hospital, you can type: health <space> hospital name <space> facility, to get a reply with the telephone number of the hospital and the facility available. The name ‘Dr. SMS’ was selected for the service from among 500 names suggested by government employees at the district collectorate. Lijo Francis, an employee of the Treasury Department, suggested it.

Launching the service here on Friday, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the quickness with which such vital information was being provided was one of the achievements of modern science. The Information Technology Department under him was making efforts to make all official correspondences ‘paperless.’

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