TimesLIVE reports that the Eastern Cape health department's call centre has been hailed as one of the best in the country as it boasts, among other things, a quick response time to emergency queries.  

The call centre, established in 2004, started as a help desk manned by one person.  It has grown rapidly and today has a staff complement of about 80.  Its main objective is to provide a platform for communities to have access to medical advice, to report inefficient public health facilities and handle tip-offs on corruption.  The facility was initially located in Bhisho, but due to the high volume of calls and the need to increase staff, it was moved to East London.  The call centre service is available 24 hours a day and is run by trained agents.  It has on standby, a specialised team of HIV/Aids and TB counsellors who give emergency telephonic advice to patients.  There is also a team of doctors who telephonically give medical advice to patients who have no quick access to medical assistance.  In June, the national health department’s Dr Mzimkhulu Mcuba, wrote to the Eastern Cape health department, commending the call centre on its work and describing it as the “most effective in the country”.

• Read the full original of the above report by Nomahlubi Jordaan at TimesLIVE

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