Gibtelecom has announced that all calls made to the Gibraltar Health Authority appointment line 20052441 will now be free of charge for its landline and mobile customers, with immediate effect.

A statement follows below:

Following representations from members of the public on social media and to the Government, Gibtelecom has announced that all calls made to the Gibraltar Health Authority appointment line 20052441 will now be free of charge for its landline and mobile customers, with immediate effect.

Many of Gibtelecom’s landline and mobile products already include free minutes to local numbers but Gibtelecom has decided to absorb the cost of any chargeable calls to this telephone number.

The Chief Executive of Gibtelecom, Noel Burrows, said: “We looked into this last week at the request of the Chief Minister, who is also our Chairman.  Making this line a freephone number will cost the company £1,500 a month and this is money that we will forgo knowing that it will likely benefit most those that are most vulnerable in the community that we serve.” 

The Hon Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister and Chairman of Gibtelecom commented “I listened to the issues being raised by demonstrators last week and asked the CEO of Gibtelecom to look at the cost of booking GP appointments.  I am delighted to see Gibtelecom has quickly taken this step to support the local community by making this essential helpline available free to the caller.  This will mean very little to some people, but a lot to those who need it most.  Fantastic news which I am sure many people will warmly welcome.”