ISLAMABAD: Polio eradication call centre 1166 in Islamabad has been converted to fight COVID-19 and is supporting coronavirus response.
“How can I help you? Have you travelled out of the country recently? Please stay on the line. I am connecting you to a doctor,” says a young woman reassuringly to someone at the other end of the line.
The call operator works at the ‘Sehat Tahaffuz 1166’ COVID-19 Helpline Centre at the National Emergency Operations Centre for polio eradication in Islamabad, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) website. Earlier, Sehat Tahaffuz 1166 was a polio eradication helpline to help caregivers share concerns and receive accurate information about polio and other vaccines. As the pandemic spread, the Pakistan government expanded the centre to fight COVID-19, which is a vital support system during a difficult time.
Like many other countries, the global outbreak of COVID-19 poses an enormous challenge to health services in Pakistan. The Sehat Tahaffuz 1166 call centre is increasingly becoming an important platform to listen to the concerns of people, provide correct information, and connect them to a doctor when required.
“I received a phone call from a 75-year-old man this morning. He was so scared and confused because of the coronavirus situation. He asked if sunbathing could help him stay protected from the virus,” said Sadia Saleem, a helpline agent. “I explained to him the symptoms of the virus, and the preventive measures. He seemed relieved and thanked me.”
She is one of the 55 call agents currently supporting the helpline, which operates in shifts, from 8am to midnight every day, seven days a week. “I’ve been working for the 1166 helpline since its inception. It’s stressful work but I feel proud that I’m serving the people during this challenging time. In addition to receiving reliable information, I think most people feel some comfort just speaking with someone from the health system,” said Sadia Saleem of her experiences.
Alongside the agents, the government has assigned six doctors to support the Helpline. Dr. Rabia Basri is one of them. “I am forwarded calls that are critical and need expert medical advice. Every day, I receive about forty calls, some twenty minutes long. These are difficult times for everyone. I often advise people about personal hygiene and physical distancing, and if they are having symptoms, help connect them with a hospital for the coronavirus test and further medical support,” said Dr. Basri.
Helpline Liaison Officer Huma Shaukat said initially they were receiving about a thousand calls a day. “During the National Polio Immunization Campaign in February 2020 for example, people were calling to report missed children, clarify doubts about vaccines and lodge complaints when health and vaccine services were not working.”
However, since the outbreak of COVID-19, the call volume has increased dramatically to about 70,000 calls a day. “Each call agent responds to about 150 callers a day. To increase the capacity of the helpline, thirty more agents have joined to manage the growing number of calls,” added Huma Shaukat.
Despite adding more agents, the call volume has become unmanageable for the helpline centre. The situation has prompted the government to assign additional resources. The Digital Pakistan initiative of the Prime Minister’s Office is helping recruit an additional 165 agents while the National Institute of Health (NIH) is assigning ten more doctors to the technical team.
“Training and commitment of call agents are very important. Otherwise the helpline will not work,” said Huma Shaukat. “We have four supervisors managing the team of call agents and support them when required as the work here is highly challenging, especially now with the high number of calls every day.”
All call agents undergo a comprehensive training on COVID-19 basic information and primary symptoms facilitated by the NIH, followed by sessions on the helpline technology and interpersonal communication. “We generate a daily report and share with relevant sections and the helpline management team. This is very important as it helps us review and manage problems, to continue functioning as an efficient helpline supporting people in their time of need,” Huma Shaukat explained.
With the Pakistan government’s leadership and the support of GPEI partners – the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) - the Sehat Tahaffuz helpline has become an essential support system for the people of Pakistan.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza in the first week of February [before COVID-19 struck Pakistan] launched the “Sehat Tahaffuz” helpline to provide health-related information services to the people. Through the helpline citizens were enabled to obtain immediate assistance to their queries and concerns related to polio and routine immunisation services.
It was then stated that the state-of-the-art call centre is helping meet the growing needs of health-related information, including polio. It will also provide information and address queries of parents and caregivers related to the vaccine. Dedicated experts will be available to provide information and support as needed.
