Orange is set to debut a SMS-based service offering advice on contraception, HIV/AIDS, sexuality and STDs in Cameroon, the first step in a wider deployment across sub-Saharan Africa.

The launch of the My Healthline service in Cameroon is due in April with wider deployment set to follow, although no timeline was given by Orange.

The company runs mobile networks in a number of sub-Saharan countries including Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Senegal and Uganda.

In Cameroon, where Orange is the second largest operator, the service was developed in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Health.

Subscribers text a question which is anonymised by Orange and then forwarded to a medical service consisting of Cameroonian nurses and doctors. The answer is produced by the healthcare professionals and then sent back to the customer by Orange within one hour.

The service is available between 8 am and 10 pm seven days a week. The cost is  €0.25 per message.