Bihar launches mobile app for Covid-19 tests

PATNA: The state health department has launched a mobile phone application — Sanjivan — to facilitate Covid-19 tests and other facilities, including hospital beds, made available by the government.
“The app became operational on Saturday morning,” health department secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh said. He said an individual can also requisition an ambulance with the help of the app, which can be downloaded from the health department’s official portal http://health.bih.nic.in/31-07-2020/sanjivan.apk.The department has also made provisions for the helpline numbers for those who don’t have access to the mobile app, he added.
The app contains district-wise emergency helpline numbers, chatbot for FAQs (friendly asked questions), IEC (information, education and counselling) and other details on Covid-19. He said an individual can register for Covid-19 test, apply for self quarantine at home and also get elaborate information about nearest testing centres, Covid care centres (CCCs), hospitals and availability of beds in the healthcare facilities.
The authoritative sources said the helpline numbers have a backup of 10 available lines in case the primary number is engaged because of congestion due to high volume of calls. “We are also working on a proposal to provide the testing facility at an individual’s doorsteps in collaboration with private laboratories,” a senior official said.
He said the department will fix rates for collecting swab samples from home in a bid to avoid crowding at the testing centres. The state government has at present fixed Rs2,500 as the maximum rate to conduct the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test at a private laboratory.
The officer said an additional Rs300 will be added in the fixed charges for collecting swab samples from home. As per the provision, a user who registers for the rapid antigen detection (RAD) test, will get a registration number and an OTP (one time password).
The user can then visit the nearest testing centre and share the OTP, which will substantially reduce the time that takes for the elaborate registration process, he explained.