Staff Reporter :
The anxious people are not getting proper response from the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) for testing and consulting about coronavirus despite repeated phone calls.
But the IEDCR says that they were struggling to provide the necessary service as, on average, more than 70,000 phone calls come in a day.
As a result, some of which have Covid-19 symptoms are not getting services. IEDCR is considering the so many calls as a challenge.
Fear has spread among the common people of Bangladesh after the outbreak of fatal Covid-19 worldwide. In the current situation the IEDCR introduces, 10655, 01944333222, 01937000011, 01937110011, 01927711784, 01927711785, as hotline. But the service expecting people are failing to connect through these numbers.
A team comprising some doctors has been given the responsibility of the hotlines.
These phone numbers are always open for testing or advice. However, the victims say, it is difficult to get the hotline numbers.
A man alleged that he called on the hotline numbers of IEDCR, but nobody received any call. Another one said that he found busy at first but later the IEDCR received his phone call and gave him necessary advice for his fever and cold problems. The IEDCR authorities said they received on average three to four thousand phone calls per day earlier. But in first two weeks of March they received on average 30 thousand calls and after March 15 the number rises to on average 70 thousand.
Dr Aysha Akter, Assistant Director of the control room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said that they had only three hotline numbers earlier. But in the emergent situation we provided 14 more hotline numbers to 17. However, the situation is not going to be handled.
ASM Alamgir, a Scientific Officer of IEDCR, said many people called them to be listed. But many of them did not agree to provide sample for testing.
