Popularising health helpline16263

Dangers do not come following a warning. One may experience a situation, where there will be no one around to help one out. To help those who are in emergencies, the authorities of Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence and Department of Health have introduced an emergency number, 999. This is our very own national emergency hotline, which has become very popular in recent years. It helps us in times of our immediate needs. The best part about the service is that it is toll-free.

However, many of us do not know that a similar kind of service is also available in our country and it is national health call centre: Jatiya Shasthaya Batayan, 16263, through which people can get advice round the clock. The national telemedicine service prescribes medication, provides suggestions, health information, ambulance information, and booking and emergency information needed for any accident. Whenever someone calls and seeks advice on health issues, s/he is connected directly to a physician. The doctor then diagnoses the problem based on the information provided by the patient, gives advices, and if necessary, prescribes medication. An e-prescription is sent to the patient's mobile phone soon. The entire process usually takes three to five minutes.

No doubt, it has been helping a large number of people since its launch in 2015. However, people hardly dial 16263 in case of emergencies since many of them do not know about its services. If the authorities concerned take initiatives to popularise the number, I think, more people can take help from this great initiative. Here, the media can and should shoulder some responsibility in this regard. If 16263 is popularised, people from all walks of life will be able to get physicians' advice free of cost.

Afroza Sheikh,

Dania, Dhaka,

ilcbd2008@gmail.com