Registered physicians will be available everyday at the 24-hour call centre, which will be accessible just by dialling 789 from any GP number at a cost of Tk15 for the first three minutes and Tk5/minute for the following minutes.

GP will provide information on doctor and medical facilities, drug, laboratory test report, consultation from doctors and all types of healthcare-related advice.

A caller who will register for the service, will be entitled to medical consultation over telephone from physicians for both emergency and non-emergency cases.

"We have already 80 community information centers to serve different purposes across the country to provide door to door services. As part of these services, we are going to launch HealthLine," said Frank Fodstad, deputy managing director of the company, while speaking at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday.

"Bangladesh has the potential of $50 million business a year in telemedicine sector with 6 to 7 per cent growth," said Dr Sikdar M Zakir, managing director of TRCL.

GP subscribers who want to register for the service will have to pay a one-time application processing fee of Tk200 and an annual membership fee of Tk300.

Under the service, subscribers will be able to request for their pathology or radiology test reports from GP designated diagnostic centres to be sent via SMS (short message service) to their phone at an SMS charge of Tk10.

GP officials said initially the call centre will be able to entertain as many as 15 calls simultaneously.

Syed Yamin Bakht, general manager (Information), Kafil H S Muyeed, director (New Business), and AMM Yahya, director (Fibre Optics Network) of GP, were also present at the press conference.