Integrated system starts to monitor Covid patients, ease admission process
KOLKATA: State Health department has introduced an integrated system to monitor the health conditions of Covid patients and ensure that people do not face difficulties while availing beds in hospitals. The new system would also remove confusion among people regarding admission, opined the health officials.
According to the Health department, the integrated system will address the queries of all Covid patients, determine their health conditions and also refer them to the government hospitals and private hospitals—requisitioned by the government for Covid treatment—and satellite centers according to their requirements. The doctors at Swasthya Bhawan will examine patients through video-conferencing. Patients with mild symptoms can be advised to remain in home isolation depending on their health condition.
As a part of the integrated system, the Health department launched direct telemedicine numbers, helpline numbers and Covid control rooms both at Swasthya Bhawan and in different districts. The Covid patients will receive calls or messages from the department. The doctors at Swasthya Bhawan will talk to the patients to determine their health conditions. Patients can also make calls to direct telemedicine numbers of the state or to the helpline numbers. The patients from the most-affected districts like North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and South 24-Parganas can also contact the district control rooms.The direct telemedicine number of the state is 033-2357-6001. The helpline numbers are 1800-313-444-222; 033-23412600. Control room numbers at Swasthya Bhawan are 62912 15847 and 62906 48755. Apart from these numbers, one additional number has been opened for ambulance service within Kolkata. The number is 033-40902929. However, one can avail ambulance services and other facilities by calling the helpline numbers launched by the Health department.
The district control room numbers for North 24-Parganas are 74393-34624; 76050-57324/25/27/28/29. Covid control room numbers for South 24-Parganas are 33247-95041/43 and 33264-13393 for Howrah. Two control room numbers have been opened in Hooghly, ie, 033-26621042 for Serampore and 033-26835324 for Chandannagar. "An integrated system having all the separate numbers has already been put in place. Steps are being taken to strengthen the telemedicine system so that a maximum number of people can be catered. More staff is being deployed. All call center numbers operated from Swasthya Bhawan will function round the clock. Admissions of Covid patients to the government and requisitioned hospitals would be done through the system," an official said.
