COVID 19 : : SPECIAL COVID HELPLINE NUMBER 18001804104 FOR ADVICE ON MEDICAL, STRESS & ANXIETY RELATED ISSUES LAUNCHED

• NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID 19):
• SPECIAL COVID HELPLINE NUMBER 18001804104 FOR ADVICE ON MEDICAL, STRESS & ANXIETY RELATED ISSUES LAUNCHED

Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Mr Pradeep Kumar Agrawal 

Ludhiana :  (AMRIT SIDHU ) To effectively address and resolve medical and stress related issues during lockdown, the Government of Punjab have launched a special helpline 18001804104 for citizens to connect with a network of senior doctors over tele-conference and get medical advice on COVID-19 and other related concerns. 

Deputy Commissioner Mr Pradeep Kumar Agrawal informed that over 1,800 senior doctors have been empanelled through the IMC for this purpose who have been duly trained about the platform, its protocol and functionalities.

Underlining the importance of the helpline, Mr Agrawal said that an intelligent Coronavirus triaging system has been developed to identify and prioritise cases for emergency medical attention. This system shall also help identify cases for isolation, home quarantine and those who require medical attention. The cases shall be notified to the government for further tracking and action, he added. 

SPECIAL COVID HELPLINE NUMBER 18001804104 FOR ADVICE ON MEDICAL, STRESS & ANXIETY RELATED ISSUES LAUNCHED

The helpline has been conceptualised by the Department of Governance Reforms & Public Grievances and is being implemented with the State COVID19 Control Room, Government of Punjab (SCCR) and the India Medical Association (IMA), Punjab State Branch. This feature has also been added to the COVA Punjab mobile application available on Android PlayStore and IOS AppStore.

The Deputy Commissioner said that there is unrest among some citizens due to the inability to reach doctors in non-emergency cases amid the lockdown. Getting professional medical advice from doctors shall help people understand their own symptoms and act accordingly in the best interest of themselves and their families, he added.

The bigger plus would be that the technology shall be helpful to the poorer sections in the society in getting access to quality medical advice and treatment amid the curfew.

Describing the working of the helpline, he said the incoming calls would be first answered by an IVR. This IVR shall filter the calls based upon the type of assistance required and those requiring medical advice on COVID 19 or other health related issues shall be asked for more information such as recent travel history and symptoms. This information shall be shared with the network of IMA doctors and the citizen shall receive a call-back from a registered doctor who shall further listen to the patient’s condition and advise on treatment, precautions and other consequent actions.

Doctors under IMA Punjab have also committed to volunteer amid this pandemic and assist with the situation. The citizens shall be advised on concerns regarding COVID as well as other health issues since it may be difficult for citizens to seek and access professional medical advice amid the lockdown. IMA shall take all efforts to calm the panic and provide the citizens with quality treatment and medical consultation.