ROURKELA: In a bid to reduce pressure on hospitals at Rourkela and strengthen the fight against coronavirus, 13 more doctors including three specialists have joined the free tele-health consultancy service for common ailments. The service was initiated by locally registered trust Smile Forever Foundation on April 1 and is promoted by Sundargarh district administration.  

Chief advisor of the foundation and chief medical officer of ESIC Model Hospital Dr Archana Barik Dr Barik said in the second phase, 13 doctors including cardiologists Swalehin Bux (Hyderabad), Ranjan Kumar Mohanty (Cuttack) and neurosurgeon SB Senapati joined the initiative. So far, 283 patients have benefitted through voice or video calls and WhatsApp chats without visiting doctors. 

Similarly, paramedics have checked 122 patients for blood pressure, sugar and saturation of oxygen in asthmatics and provided necessary action at their doorsteps. She said on prescriptions of doctors, volunteers of the Foundation have delivered medicines to 45 persons, mostly senior citizens. Dr Bux said the initiative reduces overcrowding at hospitals and enables patients with common ailments to stay at homes, thereby containing any possible spread of Covid-19.