VISAKHAPATNAM: In a bid to scale up 104 call centre services in Andhra Pradesh, the state health department has decided to expand the service to all urban local bodies (ULBs) and mandals. Currently, the state-level 104 call centre is working with 100 personnel per shift while district-level call centres are working with 10 personnel per shift.
Now, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) have been directed to establish a five-seater 104 call centre with five executives per shift. The call centres will be required to have two dedicated landline connections, five computers with internet and mobile connections to five executives.
Guntur, Rajahmundry, Kurnool and Tirupati municipal corporations have been asked to establish call centres with four executives per shift while other municipal corporations have been asked to run call centres with three executives per shift. All municipalities and mandals have been tasked with running the call centres with two executives per shift.
Concerned call centres are required to attend to Covid-19 related requests within their jurisdiction and arrange for admission to Covid-19 hospitals or Covid care centres.
Further, if the daily case positivity rate crosses the 5% range, they shall immediately engage vehicles for pickup of patients to admit them into hospitals or CCCs.
According to the health officials, the number of daily calls received by the state-level 104 call centre has significantly dropped in the last four weeks. The centre used to receive 15,000 to 18,000 calls a day during the peak of the second wave in May. But the centre got only 1,021 calls on June 25, Friday. Reduced queries could be a clear indicator of the improving situation in the state.