In a blend of experienced and fresh hands, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has decided to set up an exclusive call centre in the administrative block of the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, wherein only retired doctors/paramedics or young NSS volunteers will speak to Covid-19 patients, who have opted for home isolation, through phones daily, for 10 days continuously.

District magistrate Suhas LY said it will be an innovative call centre, which will incorporate the doctors and paramedics who are over 60-years-old. “These retired medical officials can’t go out on field visits. While the young volunteers will help them in building a proper database of the patients, they (the doctors and paramedics) can evaluate and assess the symptoms of the Covid-19 patients given their experience. These doctors will also help patients prevent Covid-19-related complications. In case the patient develops chronic symptoms, they will also be assisted by the call centre for hospital admission,” he said.

He also said that patients have to give their health updates, with daily temperature recordings, on the call centre. “Patients could submit their queries and grievances as well with the call centre for easy redressal. It would also provide behaviour change communication to all patients regarding proper usage of three-tier medical masks and hand washing with soap and water for 40 seconds. The call centre would facilitate in monitoring the other people coming in contact with the patient by asking their daily routine from them. It will be manned by doctors, counsellors, volunteers, and Covid heroes,” he said.

Suhas further said that there will be two ambulances available with the call centre to facilitate the transfer of patients to the hospital and the allotment of an institutional facility will be allotted by the integrated call centre. “Infrastructure for the call centre will be in the conference room in the academic block of GIMS. The daily calls will certainly help patients increase their awareness and comply with instructions given by the physicians for home isolation strictly,” he said.

The DM added that patients once given recommendation for home isolation will also be given a Covid-19 kit containing all essential equipment which will be required.

Meanwhile, the district administration, on Friday, declared a fresh list of 361 containment zones, including 320 in category-1 and other 41 in category-2. The DM said that containment zones in urban areas will be of a 250 metre-radius or an entire mohalla (a floor in which the patient resides in a society) in case there is a single positive case and a radius of 500 metres. “If there is more than one positive case, a buffer zone of 250 metres will be taken as containment zone. In rural areas, the entire village will be taken as containment zone if there is one case, if there is more than one case, the adjoining area of the village will also be taken as buffer zone,” he said.