The government of West Bengal has announced that training will begin for agents operating its new 24/7 health helpline.
The helpline, named Swasthya-Bandhu, will be an outsourced call center dedicated to answering questions from both patients and medical professionals in West Bengal. As part of the training process, agents will visit area hospitals to gain exposure to how they operate. Participating facilities include RG Kar MCH, Barasat DH and B.N. Bose Hospital, Barakpur.
In addition to engaging an outsourced agency, the West Bengal Department of Health & Family Welfare plans to employ an Assistant Superintendent during each call center shift. The Assistant Superintendent will oversee agents, helping them to answer questions appropriately and training them to follow procedures.
While the helpline will start by assisting professionals and patients with questions about Kolkata medical college facilities, the state will expand the helpline to provide information to and about all in-state hospitals.
For example, the helpline could help medical professionals by telling them where to find certain types of banked blood when they have none at their facilities. They could also seek treatment advice concerning a critically ill patient. According to a health department source, the call center agents will utilize a knowledge base to answer questions.
Patients can utilize the helpline to ask questions regarding hospital procedures. For instance, several of the frequently asked questions detailed in the helpline's Operation Guide involve asking how patients can transition from floor to shared bed to private bed.
In addition, patients can lodge complaints about both inpatient and outpatient services. For example, if a wait time is too long, then a patient can call the helpline and ask for a grievance to be transmitted to a facility manager. They can also file grievances regarding the behavior of doctors, nurses or other hospital staff members.
Residents of West Bengal can also call the helpline to find out about family members that have been admitted to a local hospital, asking agents to provide information about a family member's treatment progress.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson