3 ministries collaborate with WHO and the International Telecommunication Union to harness mobile technology to serve diabetic patients in Egypt

24 February 2016, Cairo, Egypt — Globally, the average person checks their phone around 85 times a day and spends one third of their waking hours using their phone. While sometimes seen as a negative dependence, modern mobile phone use in Egypt is having positive implications for health care, particularly for thousands of people living with diabetes.

On 23 February, a groundbreaking national programme “mDiabetes” was announced at a press conference held in Cairo on using mobile phones to increase people’s access to information on diabetes management. 

Participants in the programme will receive regular tips via SMS on lifestyle choices and simple steps they can take to manage their diabetes. The first phase will see 10 000 diabetics receive SMS support from the programme. A second phase, later in 2016, will expand to cover a larger number of diabetic patients all over the country. It is planned in a later phase to offer messages on diabetes prevention for the general population, and a 2-way interactive SMS service where recipients can select the kind of information most relevant to their personal needs. 

Read more about the "mDiabetes" programme in Egypt