It is Sunday morning. More than 300 Apollo TeleHealth workers are on the job, addressing queries of patients on coronavirus. The workers have been working non-stop for 48 hours, even advising patients who are dependent on telemedicine services for other ailments.
“The last few days have been like a war. Our doctors and workers are working full-time. It is a post-majeure situation. We cannot take it lightly," says Vikram Thaploo, CEO of TeleHealth Apollo Hospitals.
Apollo Hospitals, TeleHealth -CEO, Vikram Thaploo
The Apollo Group has worked rapidly to release a 24/7 chat bot under the website. It is an app that can be downloaded from the app store, and within two days of its launch, it has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
The app has a bot which asks the user his/her age, gender, what types of ailments one is suffering from and advises whether to visit a hospital. It, however, states that its analysis “should not be taken as medical advice”. It also tells you whether you should get a scan done or not.
The app, which is free, allows people of all ages to take the test. Once a person uses the app, he can choose to either visit a doctor or prefer to stay at home. It keeps all medical information confidential.
“This app is just one of the many things we are doing. Our pharmacies are delivering medicines and our TeleHealth staff are handling queries of people. It is important that all those who want to know about COVID-19 visit Apollo website and call the helpline. The app is a good way to self-analyse your situation. We are currently working with governments to contain the spread of the virus," says Vikram.
The total number of coronavirus cases are well over 467 in India and social distancing has been imposed for the next 15 days.
(Edited by Javed Gaihlot)