Hyderabad: A city-based non-governmental organization has set up help desk services at the state-run Gandhi Hospital, the nodal centre for COVID-19 treatment in Telangana. Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), which works with the underprivileged sections in getting affordable and easily accessible treatment in government hospitals, also has two ambulances functioning under its help desk
Apart from Gandhi, help desks also running at the District Area Hospital, King Koti, Osmania General Hospital, Government Nizamia General Hospital and the Government Chest hospital, Erragadda for helping with COVID -19 treatment.
The newly setup HELP DESK at GGH will have four patient counsellors and two ambulances attached to the desk from 9am to 5pm daily. The counsellors at the desk will assist all intra hospital referral, particularly maternity Covid positive cases, and will help discharged patients in arranging transportation through the ambulances attached to the desk. The volunteers will also assist elderly patients in providing patient care and counselling.
The most critical role of the help desk will be to liaise between admitted cases mainly from districts, as family members of patients often do not carry mobile phones and are often concerned about the health of patients. Two brand new ambulances have been deployed by HHF for patient and dead body transport.
Recovered patients will be dropped at their door step within GHMC limits and to nearby districts free of charge as many patients after recovery do not have the means to foot expenses for transportation. HHF volunteers are also working with pregnant women affected with COVID and who are finding it difficult to access maternity services in the Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Petlaburj, Government Community Health centre, Barkas and other hospitals.
M. Raja Rao, Superintendent, Gandhi hospital, said that the fight against the COVID-19 has to be a collaborative effort and we are very glad that and happy that voluntary organizations are coming forward to supplement our efforts against the pandemic.
“Many health care workers are scared to work in COVID hospitals as they fear getting infected and is a daunting task to find dedicated and trained resources, but we have been lucky to have a committed and fearless team of volunteers at Gandhi to serve the needy,” said Mr. Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.