A hotline (3636) was launched recently to save the lives of labouring mothers in critical condition with various complications and their infants.
The hotline is open all 24 hours for all Junior Consultants, the doctors from peripheral hospitals and the Consultant Community Physician, Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka (PSSL) former President Dr. Kapila Jayaratne said.
According to Dr. Jayaratne, the hotline is a voice operating system that directs the doctors to obtain the service.
The hotline offers expert medical advice from a team of Expert Consultants for junior consultants and doctors from peripheral hospitals to manage obstetric, neonatology or public health emergency patient or situations.
The hotline also offers to take over the patient by asking doctors to transfer the patient to a bigger hospital.
Dr. Jayaratne said if doctors use Mobitel connections, they can dial 3636. If they use other service providers’ connections, they can dial 0710363636. The service is available countrywide. Any doctor who is handling a delivering mother in a critical condition can obtain either advice or the opportunity to transfer the patient to a hospital where expert care is available. Pregnant mothers and infants face serious conditions due to the lack of senior support, inadequate facilities or without transfer options. The service will save many lives of mothers and infants. It will cut down the maternal death rate of the country, Dr. Jayaratne said.
The Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka initiated the establishment of a support group of experts from three specialities (pediatrics, obstetrics, community medicine) to help peripheral level clinicians or junior colleagues to provide expert advice or to take over the serious cases.