Six hundred and eighty two testing centres in Cameroon will now have installed SMS printer thanks to the Clinton Foundation and MTN in a bid to curb late HIV diagnosis in new-borns through a cellular phone incorporated in the device.
Clinton Foundation known for projects involving health, security and economic development among others has partnered MTN due to its wide reach in the state which will enable efficiency in delivering the service in remote areas too which seem to be most affected.
Mothers will now have their newborns tested for HIV in various hospitals with immediate printing of results by sending the tests via the SMS technology to the nation’s two specialized labs; Centre International de Recherche Chantal Biya in Yaoundé and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Mutengene, dans the south-west. The initiative will endow fast treatment for HIV positive infants which will play a big role in controlling the spread and growth of the virus.
Before, blood samples had to be transported for many kilometers taking a lot of time to have them back to the health center at times even corrupt or too late to have new borns treated which had the country record numerous new-born deaths.