10m got health advice from Shastho Batayon during covid-19 pandemic

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the country in March, more than ten million people have received medical assistance via the telehealth center run by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

"During the period, a total of 1,01,75,080 people received various services from the telehealth center, of which 86,48,818 people called with coronavirus-related issues," read a press release issued on Wednesday.

One out of every 16 people of the country has availed of this telehealth service. 15.2 million people have received the service since 2015.

Shastho Batayon is the largest telehealth center in Bangladesh, being run under the auspices of Management Information System (MIS), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and under the overall supervision of the country's first tier of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and digital healthcare providers, Synesis IT.

All kind of health services can be availed by calling '16263' at Shastho Batayon. 

Doctors treat patients through mobile phones; they then send e-prescriptions through automated SMS from Shastho Batayon's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) section, and patients accordingly receive advice and prescriptions.

Chief Executive Officer of Synesis Health and Public Health Specialist, Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed, said they have been providing multidimensional services through the Shastho Batayon call center during the corona period.

Some 200 physicians are providing this service every day, enabling the Shastho Batayon-16263 to provide services to about 300,000 people regularly.

In addition to medical treatment and counseling services, Shastho Batayon provides emergency ambulance services, health information services, complaints about public and private medical services and accidental medical services.

There is also an arrangement to transfer calls to the specialist call center of Bangabandhu Medical Hospital.