Assam helpline calls see 250% spike since lockdown

GUWAHATI: Assam's Sarathi 104 helpline number has not stopped ringing ever since the state government imposed a lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. The helpline recorded an unprecedented 250% rise in phone calls with most people enquiring about precautions against the pandemic.
"Post the lockdown announced by the government of Assam on March 22, our team has collectively reached out to 16,362 quarantined people across the state through outbound calls and additionally attended over 80,856 incoming calls till April 3.Over 80% of these calls have been related to seeking guidance and advice on Covid," a spokesperson of Piramal Swasthya - an organisation which supports Assam government's Sarathi 104 helpline - said. She added, "The beneficiaries are also reaching out to report symptoms and seek advice to tackle the infection. Most importantly, this helpline number is also being used to report cases of people who are violating quarantine rules."
State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had recently asked residents of Assam to report about any individual with a travel history to coronavirus-infected states or countries by calling 104. The information that the helpline receives is shared on a real-time basis with the government so that these persons can be traced at the earliest. Applauding the efforts by the team, the minister tweeted, "Sarathi 104 our helpline number, having an intake capacity of 6000 calls per day has crossed all barriers and has attended to more than 9000 calls upto 10 pm on Thursday and still ticking. My gratitude to all the dedicated staff of 104."
In order to deal with the increased number of calls, the frontline staff team has been significantly expanded. Paramedics, counsellors and doctors, are relentlessly attending to calls related to health advice, counselling, information sharing and reporting of Covid-19 cases, the spokesperson said. She added, "On an average, the team has been attending to around 8,000 calls in a day post the outbreak and lockdown. This number keeps increasing everyday."
Paresh Parasnis, CEO of Piramal Foundation, said, "In Assam, we have been able to provide information as per the guidelines of WHO and ministry of health and family welfare to 1,35,727 beneficiaries in March. This initiative has helped allay fears caused by the outbreak of coronavirus." The helpline has also made outbound calls to hundreds of people who have recently travelled outside Assam to counsel them and provide them with medical advice. Doctors from a telemedicine centre are also making video calls to these individuals to keep a check on their health.
The helpline of the state government was set up in partnership with Piramal Swasthya and National Health Mission in 2010 to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to the vulnerable sections of the community.