Amidst the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Papua New Guinea COVID-19 Hotline remains a source of information and advice for Papua New Guineans as we go through the State of Emergencies and restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The Hotline is a toll free telephone number set up by the National Department of Health (NDOH) and supported through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership to provide accurate information and advice to people seeking information on the coronavirus and the Government’s systems set-up to assist cases and complaints.
Volunteer operators from the PNG-Australia Partnership team, St John Ambulance and others support the Health Department and Government of Papua New Guinea’s COVID-19 operations teams to answer more than a thousand calls each day.
A volunteer at the Call Centre, Maggie Veve, who is a communication officer, in the PNG-Australia Partnership team, said being an operator at the call centre is a critical role because it helps mitigate misinformation and rumours about the Coronavirus and its impacts on peoples’ lives.
Maggie Veve and some members of the PNG COVID-19 Hotline call centre team at Morauta Haus.
“Our job is to provide the facts – people have a lot of questions and there is a lot of misinformation out there,” she said.
She added that working as a team in the Call Centre with Government of PNG officers and other partners to address the threat of COVID-19 in PNG demonstrates unity in the face of this global pandemic.
“This is a time when we all need to pull together – as Papua New Guineans and as a global community.”
The team at the call centre share the latest health and safety information to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus, including basic hygiene practises on hand washing, social distancing, eating healthy and staying at home to avoid contact and exposure.
The Call Centre also provides advice on nearest centres and health care providers available to screen and testing COVID-19 for those callers experiencing symptoms.
Basic symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, tiredness, and dry cough which may be mild and most people can easily recover from it without special medical treatment. However, around 1 out of every 6 people may need medical attention and should call the hotline on 7196 0813 or 1800 200 if symptoms worsens (fever, cough and difficulty breathing).
The PNG COVID-19 online information centre has more details. https://covid19.info.gov.pg/
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100