Bangalore:
The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to launch a toll-free health information helpline.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
The helpline would be operational in the next one and a half to two months, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters in Bangalore.
People can dial 104 for health and medical information. If someone calls from a cell phone, he would receive the prescription as a text message on his cell, the Minister said.
Medical experts would guide the callers, who would also be provided information on nearby blood banks and medical stores, among other assistance, Mr Kumar said.
The initiative would have a capital expenditure of Rs 7.5 crore and operational expenditure of Rs nine crore, he said.
The helpline would be initially equipped to take up 100 calls at a time but depending on the demand, it would be scaled up to 300 calls, he said.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also decided to extend 'Vajpayee Arogya Shree' project to Bangalore (nine districts) and Mysore (eight districts) divisions. The project for Below Poverty Line families was launched in Belgaum and Gulbarga divisions in 2010.
Under the project, each such family would get up to Rs 1.5 lakh for treatment of serious illnesses.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
The helpline would be operational in the next one and a half to two months, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters in Bangalore.
People can dial 104 for health and medical information. If someone calls from a cell phone, he would receive the prescription as a text message on his cell, the Minister said.
Medical experts would guide the callers, who would also be provided information on nearby blood banks and medical stores, among other assistance, Mr Kumar said.
The initiative would have a capital expenditure of Rs 7.5 crore and operational expenditure of Rs nine crore, he said.
The helpline would be initially equipped to take up 100 calls at a time but depending on the demand, it would be scaled up to 300 calls, he said.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also decided to extend 'Vajpayee Arogya Shree' project to Bangalore (nine districts) and Mysore (eight districts) divisions. The project for Below Poverty Line families was launched in Belgaum and Gulbarga divisions in 2010.
Under the project, each such family would get up to Rs 1.5 lakh for treatment of serious illnesses.
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