Apps apart, ASHA continues to save lives

KOCHI: The second wave of Covid has hit the state hard with the number of positive cases rising daily. 
Though specially-made applications like e-Sanjeevani are helping patients reach out to doctors through their network, digital services is not a convenient solution for those unaware of the technology.
Telemedicine is a great help to those who do not have a smartphone and use the technology, says Sajna, Ernakulam district coordinator of ASHA workers. 

Ground-level support
“There are many patients, who may be poor or elderly, who do not have a smartphone or do not have the technology to use it. In those cases, when they are contacting the control room, their calls are directed to the telemedicine system, which passes their contact numbers as well as the names to us. In Ernakulam district, we are depending mostly on the telemedicine system, and we also feel it is more convenient,” said Sajna. She added that in Ernakulam alone, 2,306 ASHA workers are functioning and they make more than 5,000 house visits a day.  

“As the first source of contact, these patients, who are in home quarantine, depend on the ASHA workers. We are the ones who serve medicines and other essentials to these patients. Rapid response teams are also functioning in the district, consisting of a ward member, an ASHA worker, and an Anganwadi teacher,” she added.

Telemedicine nodal officer Sajith John said they were receiving more than 100 calls in the district daily for a spectrum of medical emergencies. “The patients directly call the control room set up at the district medical office, from where the calls are directed to the telemedicine system,” he said.

How to seek help
When an affected patient has to seek help, they have the option to call the control room in the DMO — 0484 2368702, 802/902. These calls reaching the control rooms and the taluk control rooms are connected to the telemedicine system. Otherwise, one can register through e-Sanjeevani and get referred to a particular physician. The third option is directly contacting the ASHA workers through local sources.