The Health and family welfare department conducted 23.8 lakh tele-counselling sessions including 15 lakh Covid-19 patients and eight lakh people who were in quarantine since the pandemic hit in March 2020.
Of the total sessions, seven lakh were during the peak of the second wave in May this year, when most patients worried about securing hospital beds. Besides Covid patients and those in quarantine and isolation, those counselled included Covid patients who required treatment and therapy for anxiety and depression, healthcare workers and migrant labourers.
When the pandemic hit Karnataka, the decided to proactively get in touch with those testing positive and those who were required to stay in isolation or quarantine and offer psychological support. Migrant labourers too were counselled when they were stuck during the nationwide lockdown. Multiple calls were made to patients requiring follow ups.