Covid-19 crisis: Free app to assist with emergencies
A Medical Support SA button in an innovative app links users directly to a centralised National Operations Centre where agents are working to assist in qualifying and directing callers to the correct Covid-19 facilities or sources of information.
Kerry Hodgkinson, communications manager for 911 Response24 – a service that links users to emergency services using their smartphones – says that during the current crisis, the public have increasingly been using incorrect channels such as emergency services for non-life threatening requests, such as for transport to testing centres, or to find the address of their nearest hospital handling the crisis.
“These unnecessary calls block call centres’ lines and are using valuable resources that could be deployed where they are needed most,” she advises.
As a way to partly deal with the problem, and to “provide a service to the people of South Africa during these trying times, and ensure the sharing of correct, official information” 911 Response24 has added a new feature to its premium service on its app, a “Medical Support SA button”, and has launched a free version of the App with the same new functionality.
It is currently available to all South Africans.
The Medical Support SA button links users directly to the company’s centralised National Operations Centre (NOC) where agents are working to assist in qualifying and directing callers to the correct Covid-19 facilities or sources of information.
The 911 Response24 NOC has direct access to official information such as testing centres, hospitals, government support centres, and ER24, one of SA’s leading private emergency medical care providers operating 59 bases throughout the country, to both the public and private hospitals.
Marlize Holtzhausen, the founder and CEO of 911 Response24 says: “We desperately want to help our country through this crisis. Every life matters and we hope to make a difference to every person in South Africa.”
The app is freely available to download via the Apple and Google Play stores and gives users free access to the new Medical Support SA functionality.
For full functionality and access to armed response and emergency medical services, users should subscribe to the Premium Service (the details of which are in-app).
The Citizen has also partnered with 911 Response24 to offer access to the service for our digital subscribers.
Source: moneyweb.co.za
