2.1 24-hour COVID-19 Telephone Helpline:
In order to facilitate the patients with respiratory tract complaints, dedicated COVID-19 desks, with specific landline numbers, were established at Allied Hospital (two landline numbers) and DHQ Hospital (three landline numbers) with the doctors specifically trained for telemedicine service. These landline numbers worked round the clock for 24 hours and seven days a week.
A specific performa was designed, as a call log sheet, to record the name, address, and mobile phone number of the caller as well as date and time of the call and advice given by the doctor providing the telemedicine service. The doctor’s assessment and the corresponding advice were based on the scoring system shown in Table 1 and Table 2.