Dial H for health

The Union ministry of health and family welfare has a toll-free helpline which provides information related to reproductive and sexual health to callers
Sumiran Preet Kaur Delhi

How many times can I use an emergency contraceptive pill? 
What are natural methods of contraception? 
Can I resume sexual intercourse after my wife has conceived?

These are some of the questions asked by callers at the toll-free helpline run by the ministry of health and family welfare. The aim is to provide correct information related to reproductive and sexual health. 
Every week, there are around 500 to 1,000 calls. A 27-year-old male caller from Karol Bagh in Delhi asked, "I have been married six months. To avoid pregnancy, I give my wife around three emergency contraceptive pills in a month after seeing an advertisement on television. But, now my wife has irregular menstrual cycles. What should I do?"
The call centre agent handling the helpline asked, "Did you or your wife consult a gynaecologist before popping the pill?" "No," came the reply. The caller was unaware of the health risks involved before he called the helpline.

He was told, "An emergency contraceptive pill is used as a last resort. You can only have it once in a lifetime and that, too, under a doctor's supervision. If you use it more than once, there could be side-effects like irregular menstrual cycles." He was then advised to adopt temporary methods of contraception instead. Medical experts have found that there is a huge lack of information about reproductive and sexual health both in urban and rural India.

Many people are shy about visiting medical facilities even though they don't have complete knowledge about contraception, safe abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. 

To fill this gap, Jansankhya Sthirta Kosh (JSK), a registered society affiliated to the Union health ministry, has come up with innovative ways aimed at stabilisation of the burgeoning population.The call centre is one such initiative of JSK to provide easy access to reliable information on reproductive and sexual health, contraception, pregnancy, infant and child health and related issues. Such outsourcing by the government is unique. The questions are answered by trained people, most of them in their twenties. The service, however, is not a substitute for the services of a qualified doctor.

According to the doctor on call, people do not have to face anybody while asking questions they cannot discuss even with family members. The anonymity gives them the confidence to ask about anything they want to know. 

"At the JSK call centre, information is given out in English and Hindi using a specially designed software. The service is used particularly by adolescents, newly-weds and soon-to-be married couples," said the doctor who did not wish to be named. The software was developed at the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) in Delhi and technical training was imparted by MAMC and St Stephens Hospital, Delhi.Since early 2008, when the helpline started, more than 60,000 calls have been received from across the country till date. Most callers have contraception-related queries. Another frequently asked questions relate to sexual health concerns of men.