By IANS,
New Delhi : Here comes a medical helpline on the lines of the emergency 911 service in the US. Residents of south Delhi — particularly the elderly — will soon be able to dial and get medical services right at their doorstep.
Peace of Mind is an initiative of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) and is especially meant for senior citizens who may need medical help at any time of the day or night — and not necessarily for an emergency. The health line number is 011-42255295. It will be operational in south Delhi in another 10 days.
It has been functioning in the Vasant Kunj area for the last six months. Although the service will be limited to those in south Delhi in the beginning, there are plans to extend it to the whole of Delhi in the near future.
H.S. Chabbra of ISIC said a clear indication that there is an urgent need for such an initiative is the number of calls they have received from Vasant Kunj alone.
“We receive five to six calls everyday from older citizens and others in the Vasant Kunj area. The need for such services is huge. And it is not necessary that it has to be an emergency. A number of calls are from people who have chronic diseases and consultation over the phone is all they need,” Chabbra told IANS.
“Sometimes some chronic problems like a kidney patient needing a change of catheter or an asthmatic person needing a nebuliser, requires a paramedical team at their disposal. At other times during an emergency we have a team of doctors and paramedics going over to the person’s house and admitting him or her in the nearest hospital,” he explained.
“Everything depends on the telephonic conversation and if we feel that the patient is genuinely in doubt we are at their disposal,” he added.
According to Chabbra, the service costs between Rs.300 to Rs.500 depending on the patient’s requirement.
“Not only is it economical but also more convenient for older people to avail of this service as it saves them the trouble of coming to the hospital for minor health problems,” he said.
ISIC officials are hopeful of extending the services to the entire Delhi in the near future.
“Depending on the response, we may extend our services to the whole of the capital. Tying up with other health centres who specialise in different fields is also on the top of our minds,” Chabbra said.