More than two out of three calls that have come to the Telemedicine Centre at SSKM Hospital have sought clarifications on the flood of \u201cmedical info\u201d streaming in from different media over the last 15 days. Officials say that around 70% of the 30,000 calls the 96-member team of doctors have handled have sought information on the disease as disseminated by social and other media. <\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs many as 96 doctors \u2014 working round the clock \u2014 have, in the last 15 days, kept allaying fears of death peddled by social media posts. Apart from guiding Covid-19 patients with symptoms to his or her nearest hospital or safe house, it has been the job of those working the phones, non-stop, at the centre to instil confidence in panic-stricken asymptomatic patients, helping prevent unnecessary admissions at a time finding beds for serious patients remains a challenge.
The days are always busy at the eighth-floor war room at the hospital\u2019s IPGMER building. \u201cPeople are extremely distressed with Covid-19 information \u2014 or misinformation \u2014 overload,\u201d says IPGMER & SSKM Hospital deputy superintendent, Amit Majumdar. \u201cIt is very important to tell them the truth so that they don\u2019t panic. And nothing is more assuring than a doctor\u2019s words.\u201d
His colleague, Nafisha Yasmin, agrees. \u201cWe are doing it day and night, attending 2,000 calls a day on an average,\u201d says the assistant professor of pharmacology, who\u2019s a nodal officer at the Telemedicine Centre.
The telemedicine centre, which began its journey on July 26, is being managed by doctors of three premier medical colleges and hospitals of the city: SSKM, National Medical College and NRS Medical College. \u201cTwo shifts, each of six hours per day, and 12-hour night shifts have so far handled a barrage of distress calls from all across Bengal. Doctors who have been patient with callers try their best to resolve the issues,\u201d says Yasmin.
Health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam had conceived of a smaller version of the telemedicine centre at Swasthya Bhavan, the health department headquarters. But with a steady increase in the number of calls, it quickly became apparent that this required a bigger set-up.
Majumdar says they have seen a \u201cvery large\u201d number of cases of panic attack. \u201cI saw an asymptomatic person falling unconscious after he tested positive. For many, testing positive means death. The fact is, the fatality rate of Covid-19 is very low. The doctors at the centre are reiterating the truth that the recovery rate in the city and rest of Bengal has been far exceeding the rate of catching infection,\u201d he says, adding that this constant need to reassure patients has had an unexpected fallout. \u201cIt is developing communication skills in young doctors, on how to handle odd questions and resolve issues.\u201d
Most hospital beds now are being occupied by asymptomatic patients, who are now many more in number than the symptomatic ones. This is simply due to the panic, says another doctor who attends calls, adding that the panic is so deep-rooted that patients are not vacating beds even after they are discharged. \u201cOur telemedicine counseling has prevented many such unnecessary admissions,\u201d he says. <\/div>\n