Bhubaneswar, May 17: The Special Facility by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the city to provide COVID testing at the doorstep for senior citizens (60 plus age group) received a good response with the citizens pre-booking their requests through the 1929 Call Centre at Bhubaneswar Operations Centre of the Bhubaneswar Smart City office. Today 222 tests were done for senior citizens in the city.
Sasmita Samal, daughter of Latika Samal (63) from Indraprastha Colony at Pokhariput under South West Zone was very happy to avail the service as her mother was unwilling to go out for a test at a private lab.
“We were thinking about a doorstep service of a private laboratory and in fact, booked one, but we are really surprised to see the response of BMC mobile testing van for senior citizens and it came on the right time as they promised us. We are so happy that we will tell all our relatives in this age bracket to avail this service when there would be a necessity,” said Sasmita, adding the 1929 Call Centre through this registration service has added another feature to its chapter.
Prafulla Kumar Jethi (70) retired senior official of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation and his wife Nirmala Sahoo (61), of Badagada Canal Road, who availed the service today, said, “this is a commendable job by the BMC authorities and it would help the senior citizens at home, immensely.’”
Senior citizen Brahmananda Mohapatra of Laxmisagarunder South East Zone, who is unable to go outside, said, “this is a well-managed exercise by the civic authorities and it will help immensely the senior citizens across the Temple City.’”
Ramanath Nayak, chairman of Mohini Pramila JaraNivas(old age home) under MPCharitable Trust, GGP Colony,Rasulgarh, under North Zone, said, “30 inmates of our old age home were tested under this special facility of BMC and we are really happy as we could know the infection, if any, among our inmates. It’s a really great help for the senior citizens, who are staying here.”
BMC Commissioner and CEO Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited Sri Sanjay Kumar Singh has said that testing facilities would be strengthened and all age groups would get proper attention for the testing through urban primary health centres, urban community health centres, special facilities and the mobile testing vans across the corporation limits.
The pre-registration for mobile van testing for senior citizens by 1929 Call Centre is done a day before of the testing. A senior citizen has to call 1929 24X7 Call Centre between 8 am and 11 am to pre-book the appointment so that the testing can be facilitated through the respective zonal offices of the BMC the next day.
