National Healthline (333)
Repurposing Bangladesh's national information hotline to connect doctors to potential COVID019 patients, and track COVID-19 hotspots in near real-time
Challenges
The COVID-19 has affected Bangladesh not only as a to public health threat, but disrupted almost every aspect of life in the country. Since the first COVID-19 death was reported in country in March 2020, concerns about public health safety have been ongoing. Lockdowns have made cities deserted and lackluster, while of the highly contagious nature of the virus has created panic among the citizens. At such a moment of crisis, the inability to physically consult doctors has emerged as a crucial obstacle for citizens seeking medical assistance.
Towards a Solution
Existing infrastructure and services can play a tremendous role in helping citizens in times of need. With that in mind, the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme repurposed Bangladesh's national information hotline (333), which provided all government information and grievance redressal services to citizens, to connect doctors to potential COVID-19 patients, and track COVID-19 hotspots in near real-time by analyzing self-reported data.
The national information helpline was restructured to make it a specialized hotline number for COVID-related inquiries. Under a self-reporting method, mobile users get a short message (SMS) from their operators, and in reply they will share some of their health information, free of charge. During the call in the form of interactive voice response (IVR) citizens respond to five questions about their age, symptoms, contact history with COVID-19-positive people and contact history with someone who recently returned from abroad. The information collected is then used for developing a map that helps the government to take all the necessary measures to manage overall coronavirus situation.
The hotline received over 17 million calls, and the self-reported data received from those calls allowed identifying hotspots 7 to 15 days ahead of testing. The hotline also enrolled 4,300 doctors in an "Uber-like" doctor pool. This solution focuses on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) to address the urgent need of helping vulnerable people during the pandemic.
This project highlights the value in repurposing existing tools in order to create cost-effective solutions in times of crises. This solution can easily be replicated in countries with existing national helplines, and can help governments provide timely and effective treatment to every affected citizen.
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