RIYADH, 16 September 2006 — The Ministry of Health will launch the “Hello Ramadan” program from the first day of the holy month to assist people to receive health information from their homes and offices by phone and fax.
“Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Manie will launch the program for the second year in succession at the beginning of Ramadan, “ explained Amal Moawiya Abu Al-Jedaie, the supervisor general of the ministry’s Health Awareness Information Center.
The ministry will deploy a team of specialized female doctors to reply to people’s queries on health issues related to Ramadan. The team will be composed of doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists and trained health personnel. People can phone 01-2916754 or fax their questions to 2915145 from 12 noon every day.
“Last year, the call center was inundated with inquiries from all parts of the Kingdom. Saudi women showed more interest than men in getting health information through the program,” Al-Jedaie said, pointing out that 80 percent of the callers were women.
She noted the ministry had deliberately employed women at the desk so that the callers could speak frankly about their problems. “Another interesting part of this program is the caller can spend more time with the doctor behind the screen to clarify all doubts.”
She pointed out that most of the questions were related to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. The callers inquired about the intake of their usual medicines and sought advice to help them lose weight during Ramadan. Those fasting should be careful of their diets between iftar and suhoor, Al-Jedaie said. “Pregnant and nursing mothers were anxious to know which healthy diet patterns go with their situations.”
