Love the One Direct - 24hr Medical Helpline

By training the carers in basic child health (see Health Education & Training) we hope that the majority of the children who become sick will be able to be managed competently by the carers themselves. If the child remains unwell or the carer is unsure what to do then they will have access, via the telephone for further management advice.

Love the One Direct has been initiated to meet the ongoing medical needs of the children cared for in homes in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

We are in the process of training up our local translator and clinic co-ordinator in more advanced child health care using a simplified version of the WHO’s Integrated management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines. This enables reassurance and further advice to be given over the telephone in their own language, Tamil or Malayalam. In more serious cases if a doctor’s advice is needed, the phone call will be relayed to the paediatrician on call. If the child needs hospital admission, the name of an appropriate local hospital and doctor will be passed on to the carer. By developing good local medical links the carers will be able to access the appropriate in-hospital care that is provided for them in their country.

Love the One Direct has taken off quickly and many calls come through each day requesting medical advice for the children they are caring for. We now run weekly phone review clinics to follow-up on all these cases, and are looking to expand the Indian team over the next 12 months.