Coronavirus awareness: Students of NSU’s Public Health Department open hotline

Students of Public Health Department of North South University announced some hotlines numbers so that people can get helpful information and suggestions from public health experts amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. 

"As it is a health crisis now, we have created a group with public health experts -- mostly doctors -- and have been providing information to the callers," Dr Mahbubur Rahman Rajib, one of the organisers, told The Daily Star today.

"The numbers are open 24/7 and we have received more than 1,200 calls on Friday [the first day of announcing the numbers], and more than 1,400 calls on Saturday," he said.

The volunteers provide information on preventive measures to the callers and information on healthcare service centres near to them, the organisers said. The other organisers are Olia Mahjabin, Niloy Prosad  Chakroborty, Rehan Akhter and Asaduzzaman Shuvo. 

 "We do not offer treatment but listen to the symptoms of the callers and give them advice, comparing those with the guidelines of the WHO," said Rasma Muzaffar, one of the volunteers.   

"If any patient complains of fever and expresses worries, we just advise him/her to stay away from family members. We tell them about the preventive measures," she said.