Helpline '104' launched for medical consultation

Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader launched ‘Arogyavani’, a helpline (104) for medical consultation, here on Wednesday.

The toll-free, round-the-clock helpline, set up on the IT Park premises here, will provide medical advice, counselling, information on medical directory, and also registers complaints. It would also help in developing a health database for the State.

The call centre set up in association with the Hyderabad-based Health Management and Research Institute (HMRI) has 100 seats, which will be increased to 300 in the next three years. The call centre has the capacity to receive 10,000 calls per day, and its staff include health advisors and medical officers. Generic drugs will also be prescribed through SMS and HMRI representatives, Khader said.

Healthcare for the poor

A super-speciality hospital will be opened in every divisional headquarters, said Khader, after inspecting the Civil Hospital in Dharwad.

He told mediapersons that a proposal will be given to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to reserve funds for the project.

The government will give priority to upgrade all the district hospitals and community health centers in the coming budget, for the benefit of the poor and the needy. A proposal, seeking infrastructure, medical equipment and manpower will be submitted to the chief minister, after a zonal-level health officials’ meeting soon, he said.

The government will open drug stalls in every district hospital during the first phase. Drugs would be available here at subsidised rates. In the second phase, such stalls would be set up at taluk and hobli levels, he added.