Afiya lives in the rural Sylhet region of Bangladesh. For two days, her youngest daughter, Rubina, has been complaining of fatigue and has felt warm to the touch. Taking the child to the nearest clinic would cost Afiya a day's lost wages, round-trip bus fare, and clinic fees of Taka 200 (U.S. $3). Instead, Afiya and her husband use the family's mobile phone to dial "7-8-9," the Healthline hotline service set up by TRCL, Ltd., a telemedicine firm, and GrameenPhone, the country's largest mobile network operator. The family quickly reaches Dr. Quadri at Healthline's call center in Dhaka. After asking a few questions, Dr. Quadri tells her to give Rubina small regular doses of paracetamol, available at neighborhood shops. For the threeminute call, Afiya pays only Taka 15 (U.S. $0.21) from her family's GrameenPhone prepaid talk-time balance.Afiya is not the only person seeking basic medical advice and information by calling a health hotline. Telephone-based nurse triage, primary care, and health information have been offered in developed countries since the late 1990's, and
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