More than 16,000 tele-consultations given by docs during lockdown

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 14: In last two weeks, more than 16,000 tele-consultations have been provided to the patients across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir by the doctors from Health and Medical Education Department.
Due to prevailing lockdown situation in the Union Territory and closure of OPDs and other services to accommodate the COVID patients, resulted in inconvenience to the general public, as they are not able to get the routine consultations and the answers to the queries related to COVID-19, the doctors from Health and Medical Education Department about two weeks back had started an innovative methodology of reaching their patients by giving free tele-consultations on telephones.
The doctors voluntarily circulated their names with their contact numbers along with their specialties which had been shared with public through press and electronic media, so that the ailing people can call such doctors and avail the consultation facilities on telephone. The doctors also developed an Application also, namely jkdak.in. In last two weeks, more than 16,000 tele-consultations have been provided to the patients across the UT while other specialists/super specialists are also being encouraged for the same.
Two Nodal Officers have been nominated at Divisional levels to compile the information from the doctors who are on the panel for giving tele-consultations. The report submitted by Dr Masood ul Hassan from Kashmir Division and Dr Balwinder Singh from Jammu Division are being compiled district wise and today 731 consultations were given on telephone as per details mentioned below:
A WhatsApp group has also been created to seek the reports from the concerned districts and the Nodal Officers have been asked to compile the reports on daily basis. The efforts shall be made to provide specialty wise consultations in the districts and to ensure that more and more doctors are encouraged to provide tele-consultations to the people, who are not able to move out of their houses due to lockdown and are in need of their services.