Mobile phone use in Africa has spread far, wide and fast.By the end of last year, it was estimated that 70 percent of the population would have a mobile phone.Now, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says it's using the technology to save lives.In Kenya, the IFRC has developed the Rapid Mobile Phone-based survey, otherwise known as RAMP.It allows the medical aid group to learn a lot about the health of people in remote, rural communities in very little time.Jason Peat, the senior health officer for malaria, says the idea for the survey came from IFRC volunteers.There are volunteers using those mobile phones to communicate.They're doing it two ways.They're using them as a regular phone,but more often than not we see them use the phones to send text messages back and forth because they're a very inexpensive way to communicate.Red Cross volunteers and other community health workers at a very local level were already figuring out a way to manage activities,to manage programs and not just health programs,but all programs using mobile phones, he said.Volunteers use RAMP to collect data on such things as antenatal and newborn care, immunizations, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea and other health issues.Peat says the mobile phone survey has sharply reduced costs.It's 10 times cheaper compared to the old clipboard method.
在非洲移动电话的使用蔓延远,流传广而且传播快。到去年年底,估计有70%的人人手拥有一部移动电话。而现在,国际联合会红十字会和红新月会联合会表示正在使用这项技术拯救生命。在肯尼亚,国际红十字会开发出基于快捷移动电话的调查,或者按其字面意思称为RAMP。这项技术能使医疗援助小组在极短时间内了解到地处偏远乡村地区人们的健康状况。负责疟疾的高级卫生官员杰森・彼得表示这个调查的想法来自IFRC的志愿者们。有志愿者使用这些移动电话沟通。他们以两种方式工作。他们正在当作常规电话使用它们,但往往我们看到的不是他们使用手机来回发送短信,因为这是一种非常便宜的沟通方式。当地的红十字会志愿者和其他社区卫生工作者们已经寻找一种方式来管理活动、管理项目，而且不只是健康项目,而是所有项目都使用手机,他说。志愿者利用RAMP收集数据，诸如产前及新生儿保健、免疫接种、疟疾、肺炎、腹泻及其他健康问题。彼得表示移动电话调查大幅减少成本。比旧的剪贴板方法便宜10倍。
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