PANAJI: The state government has set up a 104
helpline for information on the Covid vaccination.
The helpline, an initiative of the directorate of health services and
GVK EMRI 108, has been assisting
healthcare workers and frontline workers in getting access to the
vaccine. They have been calling the helpline to find out whether their names are registered on the CoWin portal.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday said the 104 helpline will check if individuals are registered or not, reconfirm their appointments for the vaccination doses and help them locate their nearest vaccination centre.
“Besides their vaccination centre, we provide them with the names of additional health centres in their vicinity and within their district where vaccinations are in progress, to make it more convenient for them to get vaccinated,” deputy manager Shrinivas Deshpande said.
The helpline with Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) doctors on board also provides post-vaccination assistance for those who may experience fever, swelling or any other adverse effects following immunisation (AEFIs).
“The GMC doctors who are working 24x7, provide them with all the information they need and address their concerns,” Rane said.
The helpline has been receiving several calls from the public regarding vaccinations for senior citizens, but it is unable to guide the public on this as yet as it has not received any guidelines from the health services regarding this so far.
Rane, who is also minister for women and child development, said that a 24-hour toll-free helpline for women in distress — 181 — has been made operational recently and has received over 1,000 cases since inception.
The helpline can be used by women in any kind of distress to seek support or information, he said.