An SMS-based HIV/AIDS education and awareness model for rural areas in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Access to basic healthcare in many parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG) remains a challenge partly because the majority of the population is thinly scattered across a geographically rugged country. The major health problems in PNG pertain to malaria, tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases while HIV has reached epidemic levels. The proliferation of the mobile phone technology in PNG has been unprecedented since the introduction of competition in the sector in July 2007. Users in rural areas now access the mobile phone signal making it their preferred form of modern communications medium. This paper introduces an SMS-based HIV/AIDS education, awareness and information dissemination model for a predominantly rural-based PNG society.