Department of Health Abu Dhabi in collaborations with Abu Dhabi Public Health Center launches COVID-19 Home Isolation Program Smart service on WhatsApp

The COVID-19 Home Isolation Program smart service is an automated 'Chatbot' service, which will allow citizens to get answers to the most common questions about Coronavirus and Home isolations recommendation from Department of Health 24 hours a day. "We continue to focus our efforts on the current health crisis to curb the spread of Covid-19 and maintain the health and wellbeing of all members of the community. Through this service we always strive to employ all possible means to support the patients and provide them and the wider community with reliable and timely healthcare services to keep them safe and healthy." Said H.E Dr Jamal Mohammaed Al Kaabi, Acting Undersecretary of Department of Health Abu Dhabi.

Ramez Shehadi, Managing Director, Facebook MENA commented, "At difficult times like these, people use WhatsApp more than ever to connect with and support their friends, family and communities. We are pleased to be able to provide DoH with the communications tools to help them respond to citizens' questions about the virus with reliable, timely health advice, in order to keep people safe."

To use the free COVID-19 Home Isolation Program smart service on WhatsApp, simply save the number +97124193399 in your phone contacts and then text the word [Hi] in a WhatsApp message to get started. A set of menu options is then presented which the user can choose from and then be sent relevant guidance from Department of health Abu Dhabi as well as links to https://doh.gov.ae/covid-19  for further information. 

"The Department of Health Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Public Health Center has built on the WhatsApp Business API, using novomind iAGENT digital platform from WhatsApp Business Solution Providers." Said Hossam Amer, Managing director novomind in Middle East and Africa.

A number of Health Ministries and NGOs around the world are already running Coronavirus health information lines on WhatsApp, including the World Health Organization.

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