HYDERABAD: The Public Health and Family Welfare Department on Monday launched a mobile application to identify, undertake live surveillance, track, monitor and provide real-time analytics to the Chief Minister and State Health Department.
Earlier, Express reported that the IT Department was working on the same. The Covid-19 Monitoring System App, developed by Vera Smart Healthcare, will help in surveillance, monitoring, tracking, reporting and preparing health bulletins.
The system aims at empowering every health caller to handle over 1,500 calls and simple daily chatbot interaction with a patient. It will help the health callers ensure that the symptomatic or confirmed ‘positive’ patients are quarantined and undergoing treatment.
Announcing the launch of the app, Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivas Rao said, “The system helped us track and monitor the foreign returnees; community spread and those who are already hospitalised for Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARS) early to control the spread of Covid-19 in TS”.
“The monitoring system erases human errors and provides accurate information. The quick turnaround, and the innovative psyche, initiated improved surveillance, tracking, effective monitoring, and supervision,” Dr Srinivas added.
Explaining its benefits, Dharma Teja Nukarapu, founder and CEO of Vera Healthcare, said: “Our technology is based on IoT, smart devices, GPS and geotag. The app is installed on the phones of all associates from the ground level to the Chief Minister’s Office. Its geotagging and GPS tracking feature ensures that home quarantines persons do not breach the law”. Vera Healthcare was also readying a batch of ‘SMART PATCH’, which monitors patients’ progress.
Govt launches WhatsApp bot for info on Covid
The State government, on Monday, launched its official WhatsApp Chatbot, as part of its efforts to disseminate authentic information on the Covid-19 outbreak.
Citizens can access the same on 9000 658 658. IT Minister KT Rama Rao said the State partnered with WhatsApp to set up a dedicated Coronavirus helpline.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our citizens safe. We urge everyone to stay indoors and ensure that they rely only on verified channels of information,” he said.
State IT and Health departments prepared the WhatsApp Chatbot, titled ‘TS Gov Covid Info’, in collaboration with SB Technologies, a Hyderabad-based software solutions provider and MessengerPeople