Bhubaneswar: With a view to protecting senior citizens from the novel coronavirus, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Wednesday, organised an awareness programme at Biju Patnaik Park here to help the elderly people understand the functionality and benefits of the Sachetak app.
The app, developed by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), and commissioned by BMC, exclusively meant for the co-morbid and senior citizens in the Capital city.
More than 50 senior citizens of the city attended the first edition of the programme between 6am and 7am with a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity to know about the mobile application.
During the hour-long programme, Water Resources department joint secretary and senior supervising officer, Covid-19, BMC, Subrat Panda joined the event as chief speaker and spoke about how the app helps in consulting doctors online.
“As elderly population and senior citizens are most vulnerable to Covid-19, they should use this app extensively to consult with specialist doctors without stepping out of their homes,” Panda advised.
Similarly, Zonal Deputy Commissioner of BMC South East Zone, Ansuman Rath, too addressed the occasion and urged senior citizens to take precautions even at home such as wearing masks, avoiding exposure to those who cough or sneeze and to avoid unnecessary visits to public places.
“The Sachetak app will prove to be a really helpful tool for senior citizens to avail basic medical services as well as in the dissemination of essential information related to Covid-19. Such programmes will be conducted on a regular basis at different places in order to reach out to the senior citizens of the city to ensure their safety and well-being,” Rath explained.
Besides, Covid sachetaks and community organisers of South East Zone participated in the workshop and helped senior citizens personally in addressing their queries and downloading the app on the spot.
“It’s a very good initiative by BMC to protect the vulnerable people (adults/senior citizens) as they become more prone to infections due to several factors. We cannot avoid some of these risks but as a society, we have to learn and obey the guidelines and cooperate with the government for the larger good,” said RB Nayak ,73, a retired IAS officer, who attended the programme and was seen downloading the Sachetak App.
The app helps the civic body in keeping track of the vulnerable section of the society in the city.
How to download it
The Sachetak app is currently available for download on the Google play store of android phones and one can view it on www.sachetakapp.in. Users can register themselves using their mobile number and a one-time password (OTP). After registering, one has to enter the age, occupation, ward of residence in Bhubaneswar, address, comorbidity or existing diseases, any type or surgery etc, caregiver and doctor details. This database will help identify people at risk. The BMC can also use this data to plan healthcare camps in advance for a particular area where vulnerable groups are present.
Benefits of Sachetak app
- Helps in exploring resources shared on Covid protection
- Consulting a doctor online for specific diseases
- Viewing responses from doctors
- Viewing updates on Covid quarantine and positive cases in your ward as well as other wards and Bhubaneswar and Odisha
- Updating the profile if necessary
- Share feedback & refer friends and family