Health Ministry, DoctorOnCall team up on Virtual Health Advisory to fight Covid-19 misinformation (VIDEO)
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 19 — The government has launched a Virtual Health Advisory service in collaboration with the DoctorOnCall online health platform to provide accurate information on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The portal is hosted on the DoctorOnCall website and is projected to run for at least three months, after which the ministry will decide whether to extend the service.
At the launch today, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzukefly Ahmad said it will also give users access to virtual consultations with doctors, specialists, and his ministry’s medical officers.
The service is available daily from 8.30am to 5pm, and is the first of its kind to be launched in the region.
Dzulkefly added that the platform was a corporate social responsibility project by DoctorOnCall.
DoctorOnCall co-founder Hazwan Najib said in a statement that the service will let users for verified articles on Covid-19 and take a self-assessment to determine their risks of infection.
“This free virtual health advisory platform allows a doctor to understand callers’ concerns, assess the symptoms, and advice on the necessary steps to be taken,” he said.
“The virtual health advisory portal can potentially relieve the crowding seen at many clinics around Malaysia, allay the public’s fears and concerns through reading credible and verified information by the ministry and most importantly, stop the spread of the misinformation on the Covid-19 disease,” he added.
Hazwan said 20 of the ministry’s family medicine specialists and DoctorOnCall’s digital team will field questions on the portal.
Earlier today, Dzulkefly announced that two more Malaysians have fully recovered from Covid-19 and were allowed to return home after consecutive tests conducted on then returned negative, leaving only seven patients still being treated for the virus.
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