The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) said negative COVID-19 results from the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) will now be communicated to clients via short message services (SMS) on their mobile phones. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said text messages will be accompanied by a link that will direct clients to the NIP website, which contains a section on frequently asked questions. The ministry further urged clients to make use of the NIP website in addition to the COVID-19 hotline and toll-free number 0800 100 100 that can be used for further inquiries. Furthermore, the ministry stated that clients will receive negative results notification through an official NIP phone number 40400, adding that individuals forging text messages from unauthorised phone numbers will be investigated and held legally accountable. “Any text message not sent from this number is not from NIP. The ministry strongly condemns misinformation to any persons or to the general public. Anyone who is found to be willfully misleading, misinforming or spreading false information to the public in this regard will be prosecuted,” the statement reads. MoHSS Executive Director, Ben Nangombe, told NAMPA that it is a pilot initiative which will later be rolled out to other laboratories’ results across the country. Nangombe added that the initiative is a secured means of communication that will bring efficiency to the system, given the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. “We will embrace this form of communication because it is efficient and it will enable health professionals to concentrate more on positive cases in terms of making telephone calls and counselling those who would, unfortunately, receive positive results. We want to have a situation where people are taken out of a sense of worry while awaiting their results,” Nangombe said. -NAMPA