COLOMBO: The voice is hesitant and unsure. It is apparently a young woman on the telephone line. She appears to be frightened. “Hello, I need some advice,” she says.
“You have reached Happylife Contact Centre. You can talk to me,” replies Dr. Adyana who answers the phone.
“I am 23 years old,” says the caller. There is a pause. “My husband and I … we got intimate but it was unplanned. We did not use protection and I am very frightened that I will get pregnant. Please help me,” she says as she begins to sob.
“Do not worry,” says Dr. Adyana comfortingly. When did this happen?”
“Last night.”
“Even if one has had unprotected sex, pregnancy can be averted by using emergency contraception . There are various emergency contraception pills or ECPs which are available over the counter at most drug stores,” she says and goes on to give detailed advice on the dosage. The voice at the other end of the phone suddenly picks up.
“Is that all I have to do?” The gloom has vanished.
“Yes,” comes the reply. “But you can prevent pregnancy and also the risk of infection by using contraception such as condoms next time,” says Dr. Adyana.
There is a quick “thank you” and the caller hangs up. It is eight in the morning and the beginning of another day at the Happylife Contact Centre in Colombo. This was just one of the many calls that the Happy Life centre receives in a day. The counsellors’ desks are already abuzz with activity as Dr. Pradeep, Dr. Nishanthan and Dr. Imala are replying to emails which have accumulated in the Happy Life inbox since last night.
The Centre provides information on sexual and reproductive health -related issues to the people of Sri Lanka through a range of information technology options all of which result in queries coming to the counsellors. There are four counsellors to respond to the queries. All of them are medical doctors who are serving their internship period before they take up employment or go in for higher studies.
The Medical Director of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka Dr. Sumithra Tissera says Happy Life Contact Centre was set up in 2009 to enable the people of Sri Lanka to get information on SRH using information technology tools. “We started it, went through a lot of teething troubles related to technology. The IPPF SARO Regional office helped us overcome technical and financial difficulties,” she says. It is the first facility of its kind in Sri Lanka to provide information on sexual and reproductive health matters. The Project is a joint initiative of FPA Sri Lanka and the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) which provides technical support.
A substantial number of calls and queries directed to Happylife are on emergency contraception . “There are nearly forty calls every day, and half of these are by women and men seeking information on emergency contraception ,” says Dr. Imala. Hundreds of young women and women who did not have awareness of the means of contraception or did not use a method have benefitted by calling Happy Life. Queries may range from issues of growing up, pregnancy, and sexual orientation , a variety of issues related to sexual and reproductive health . A number of inquiries are made by young people about relationships. Questions on HIV and AIDS come up every now and then. There are queries from women and men who are currently using a method of contraception.
There are times when the caller needs to be seen by a doctor when the complaint is of a medical nature. “We advise the caller to contact the nearest government health facility or the FPA clinic in Colombo which provides medical and counselling services,” says a counsellor.
What makes the Happy Life programme unique is the anonymity it offers to information-seekers and the range of options using which they can contact the centre 24x7. One can telephone, write an email, send an SMS or even chat with the counsellors by using options such as MSN or Yahoo messenger, Google Talk, Skype, or use the chat option on the Happylife website. The callers or viewers can use either of three major languages mostly used in Sri Lanka – Sinhalese, Tamil and English.
Recognition has followed. The Happy Life website www.happylife.lk was awarded for its content by the Sri Lankan government, and another award through people’s choice came for the website being the best in the non-governmental category which also listed in among the top ten Sinhalese websites. ICC Thinkwise partnered with Happylife in their local campaign raise awareness on HIV/AIDS. The campaign poster featured Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara and the Happylife contact details. “We are proud of this achievement, but we are constantly seeking to improve our services,” says Dr. Sumithra.