Operators receive calls to the hotline 1022. Photo hcmcpv.org.vn

HCM CITY — The hotline number 1022 used for COVID-19 assistance has received 142,000 calls, with 89,300 being transferred to doctors for remote consulting, according to the HCM City Medical Association.

The hotline, Extension 3, was established by the association and the departments of Information and Communications and Health in July last year to offer infected people home-based treatment and advice on COVID prevention and control.

More than 220 doctors signed up to consult patients and their relatives on how to isolate and treat patients at home, vaccination and other issues, Assoc Prof Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Dung, chairwoman of the association, said.

They are doctors, infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists, some working at hospitals and some retired, she told a meeting held on Sunday to review the hotline’s operation.

“We felt very sorry that thousands of people could not reach doctors since they cannot work around the clock.”

The association then set up Extension 5 to offer consultation to people with other health issues since COVID-related restrictions made it difficult for them to visit health facilities.

Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh Châu, deputy director of the city Department of Health, said the launch of the hotline offered life-saving support and care for people with COVID-19 during the crisis.

The consultation offered by leading medical experts gained patients’ trust and reduced the load on hospitals amid the COVID-19 outbreaks, he said.

With the pandemic now under control, the hotline provides consultation on post-COVID conditions, he added. — VNS