More than a dozen qualified doctors employed with technology major Cognizant in Mumbai have volunteered to be a part of a special telephonic helpline set up by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to address citizen questions on COVID-19.
Cognizant has over 2,700 medical professionals worldwide, including physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who provide critical services such as pharmacovigilance, clinical data management, medical management and claims management, among others, to healthcare and life sciences organizations globally.
Under Cognizant’s employee-led volunteering programme Outreach, Cognizant employees are supporting several governmental and non-governmental organizations across India on COVID-19 initiatives. One of these initiatives is the COVID-19 helpline set up by a group of physicians led by Mumbai-based consulting physician Dr. Tushar Shah to contain fear, panic and speculation by providing people with relevant, non-prescriptive information.
Before joining the helpline team, Cognizant’s doctor volunteers took a two-week virtual training from Dr. Shah on various aspects of running a helpline, such as gathering information from callers, reading symptoms, and responding to various types of questions. “Responding to the COVID-19 crisis has put frontline healthcare personnel under severe strain,” said Dr. Tushar Shah, adding, “Our helpline is an attempt to ease the pressure on hospitals and doctors, enable those in need to get treatment on priority, and equip citizens with useful and accurate medical information. I am pleased that Cognizant’s employees have volunteered to apply their medical skills to the larger ongoing efforts to deal with the crisis. Their participation has expanded our reach across marginalized communities and areas with limited access to medical expertise.”
“We are privileged to be a part of an important helpline in times of a pandemic,” said Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Chairman and Managing Director, Cognizant India. He added: “Most questions to date have been about likely symptoms, self-isolation, diet, hygiene and testing of COVID-19. Through the helpline, Cognizant volunteers have been able to provide non-prescriptive advice to marginalized and underserved communities as well. We are deeply appreciative of the untiring efforts that Dr. Tushar Shah and all experts associated with this helpline are putting in to empower the citizens of Mumbai to take on the challenge and threat of COVID-19.”
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