Tuesday 19^th April, 2011 – Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Digicel, the best value mobile operator in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific, has partnered with the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) on a media advocacy campaign called ‘Get the Message’ to create greater public awareness of chronic diseases affecting persons across the Caribbean region.

The HCC launched the extensive pan-Caribbean campaign in March to encourage Caribbean leaders to seek to maximise opportunities for improved prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and to provide public education about them.

Digicel will help ensure that the campaign meets its target of one million text messages by September, when Caribbean leaders are due to attend a United Nations High Level Meeting on these illnesses. Digicel will also act as a liaison for the coordination of text blasts and quantified data reports, as well as drive the campaign through its social media channels Facebook and Twitter.

Digicel’s support of this campaign follows on from its own community health programmes across its 32 markets, designed to sensitise the public on various health issues, allow customers easy and confidential access to health information, provide resources to health facilities as well as facilitate medical missions to those most in need.

In Barbados, for instance, Digicel is presently working closely with the Diabetic and Hypertension Association that aims to assist the approximately 30,000 persons living with these diseases. To date, Digicel has donated two Jablotron desktop phones to the association to use as hotlines, with phone charges written off monthly, as well as run sensitisation campaigns via its Facebook and Twitter fan pages. 

Digicel has also contributed BlackBerry phones with free voice and data services to the Bermuda Autism charity ‘Tomorrow’s Voices’ to help them operate more efficiently and has sponsored St. Lucia’s annual Pine Hill Fun Walk that encourages a healthier lifestyle.

Digicel Commercial Director, Brian Finn, states:

“As champions of change within our markets, Digicel has active community outreach programmes that consistently make positive differences. We are pleased to partner with the HCC on this health revolution to educate on non-communicable ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.”

“By providing the technical platform for this campaign, we will be able to inform and empower millions in the region as this campaign provides an excellent forum for us to share and disseminate vital information which can be the difference between life and death,” Mr. Finn adds.

Over the course of the campaign, Digicel subscribers in the Associate Member and Member States of CARICOM will be encouraged to text support for the World Leaders Summit and will receive daily health tips alerts. The campaign will also include educational public service messages placed in newspapers, and on radio and television throughout the region and beyond.

ENDS