Ministry of Health’s CSS plays vital role regarding Covid-19 pandemic

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Center receives calls 24/7 in Arabic and English

KUWAIT CITY, April 19: The Citizens Service Sector (CSS), affiliated to the Ministry of Health, played an important role during the corona pandemic and the sector continues to receive intense communication from the public about the pandemic, reports Al-Jarida. The center receives incoming calls 24/7 in Arabic and English, related to the coronavirus, medical consultations, and requests for drugs delivery, general inquiries, complaints and suggestions. Number ‘151’ affiliated to the citizens service sector in the Ministry of Health has received more than one million calls, including more than 250,000 inquiries during the past three months — about 80,000 calls and inquiries during last January, about 50,000 during February, and about 120,000 in March 2021.

The website and the ‘WhatsApp’ service of the call center witnessed nearly 7,000 communications from the public, which varied between inquiries, suggestions and observations during last March as well. The ministry succeeded in providing medical, technical and administrative personnel qualified to respond to inquiries and questions quickly, or to call back in the event the queries were not answered due to crowding or severe pressure on the part of the public. During pandemic the number of employees working at the center increased from 27 to more than 160 who receives and deals with incoming calls. The number of doctors has also increased to more than 40 in various specialties.

The call center of the sector responds to all the inquiries and communications received regarding the ‘Shlonak’ application, and coordination is made with the doctors supervising the application by transferring the reports and inquiries, in addition to the requests to change the address that exceeded 1,500, and the request for medical exit permissions which exceeded 1,100, in addition to the inquiries regarding technical support issuance of certificate after the end of the quarantine period and inquiries about the bracelet which a person has to wear to monitor the whereabouts in case of infection or home quarantine.

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