2.1 24-hour COVID-19 Telephone Helpline:
In order to facilitate the patients with respiratory tract complaints,
dedicated COVID-19 desks, with specific landline numbers, were
established at Allied Hospital (two landline numbers) and DHQ Hospital
(three landline numbers) with the doctors specifically trained for
telemedicine service. These landline numbers worked round the clock for
24 hours and seven days a week.
A specific performa was designed, as a call log sheet, to record the
name, address, and mobile phone number of the caller as well as date and
time of the call and advice given by the doctor providing the
telemedicine service. The doctor’s assessment and the corresponding
advice were based on the scoring system shown in Table 1 and Table 2.