Facebook-based initiative benefits general patients during Covid-19 shutdown

A team of doctors under the banner of "Patuakhalibasir Daktar" (Doctors for the People of Patuakhali) are providing telemedicine services to the people of the district, facilitating treatment for general patients during the adverse situation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organisation, comprising doctors hailing from Patuakhali, started its activities in mid-March, allowing the general patients to receive free treatment by joining their Facebook page.

Patients can call the doctor concerned on his mobile phone and seek suggestion for their problem.

The doctors, who are working in various organizations at home and abroad, are spontaneously serving the people of the district through the Facebook page, often

giving required advice after seeing the report through Messenger.

They include specialists in medicine, cardiology, kidney, liver, skin and sex, dentistry, physiotherapy, gynaecology and paediatrics as well as those who have recently passed from different departments of famous medical colleges of the country.

Entering the group, one will find lists of doctors, with mobile numbers and information about when they will be available for consultation.

Many of the beneficiaries have posted status, expressing gratitude and hailing the noble initiative of the doctors for their benevolent services during the crisis period.

"My nine-year-old daughter was suffering from constipation, but I failed to arrange treatment for her in any hospital or clinic. Then I contacted Dr Chandan Kumar Saha, a paediatrician in the Facebook group. My daughter is now well with his treatment," said Mokhlesur Rahman, a resident of Sabujbagh area of Patuakhali town.

"The initiative to bring medical services to home through telemedicine is encouraging for ordinary people like us in this difficult time," he said, adding that there should be more publicity about this service.

Arif Sohag, a resident of Puran Bazar area of the district town, said he recovered with treatment from the doctors of this group from home after he got a slight fever with some other ailments.

Sumon Zahid, one of the founders of the Patuakhali-based group, said more than a hundred doctors have already joined the group and over 6,000 members have been enlisted to get telemedicine services.

The service will be gradually extended to the grass roots level of Patuakhali district, he said.

"This is our humble attempt to provide emergency medical services to the people at such a bad time. We have plans to expand the scope of telemedicine services in future," said Faizul Haque Zurich, another member of the group.