Coronavirus: Use WhatsApp to treat patients online, DAK to doctors

In view of COVID-19 scare, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Saturday requested doctors to volunteer for providing online consultations through WhatsApp so that people suffering from general ailments at home have a sign of relief.

President DAK, Dr Suhail Naik appealed people to use online phone numbers of specialist doctors without any hesitation.

“But it is better to connect them with via WhatsApp. People are requested to upload their major symptoms and relevant documents and then wait for professional advice,” he said.

Naik said that the doctors of Jammu and Kashmir are requested to upload their WhatsApp numbers on social media and stay connected with the people at this time.

The doctors’ body requested the government to restore 4G internet services, so that online consultations are done without any hurdle.

DAK request all doctors to provide online consultations voluntarily. DAK has already established COVID-19 helpline numbers that are available on the Facebook page of Doctors Association Kashmir.

“This, in a long way is going to decrease large cohort of people visiting hospitals and a method to contain the spread of COVID-19,” Naik said.

He said it is the duty of doctors saying that they had been there to serve the public in natural disasters like 2014 floods or earthquake.

“We are ready to deal with the present situation and fight the COVID-19 pandemic and government should also gear up for that,” he said.

As the novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 on Saturday, DAK said the government must provide interrupted services like protective gear to doctors and other allied workers serving people in hospitals.