New Delhi: In abid to provide better COVID care and treatment to Delhi’s pandemic-affected journalist community, Teamwork Communications Group is collaborating with IHW Council and its partner hospitals to start a ‘Covid Care Alliance for Journalists (CCAJ)’ that will facilitate free of cost homecare including teleconsultation and monitoring to media professionals and their families.
Journalists who have been reporting India’ COVID 19 crisis from the frontlines have been one of the most severely affected communities in this pandemic. According to a report compiled by the Network of Women in Media, India, at least 300 journalists have died because of COVID 19 as they report from the frontlines of an unveiling crisis[1].
Realizing the need to offer medical succour to journalists and their families in this time, leading healthcare specialist communications agency Teamwork Group has come together with health advocacy body IHW Council and their partner hospitals to start this initiative. The initiative will work through multiple channels to help provide better COVID care to journalists through doctors, hospitals and medical support groups in their network.
The Alliance will ensure that bonafide journalists and their families are supported with free of cost COVID Homecare, Priority on Hospital Admission (based on availability), and easy access to Corona care centres set up by its partner hospitals and organizations. Under their Covid Relief initiative, CCAWJ has also provided a batch of Oxygen Concentrators to the Press Club of India for use of journalists and their families who are in need.
“While the pandemic has not left any section of the society unaffected, journalists are one of the unrecognised frontline warriors who are reporting from the ground putting their lives at risk. As a communications agency, we personally know many journalists who have been infected by COVID 19 in recent months. The ‘Covid Care Alliance for Journalists’ is our joint initiative with IHW Council to provide support and quality medical help to the community. A number of our partner hospitals have also come on board readily to provide medical care services including free of cost COVID homecare, teleconsultation and nursing support to scribes and their family members. We request more hospitals to join our alliance,” said Nikky Gupta, Director, Teamwork Communication Group.
The medical support will include consultation with General Physicians, Gynaecologists, Paediatricians as well as Dieticians.
“Journalists across the country, much like other frontline workers, are putting their lives at risk while reporting facts and bringing the ground realities of the pandemic to light. Scores have lost their lives after getting infected in the line of duty. We appeal to the government to treat journalists as frontline warriors too and put them on the priority list for vaccinations,” said Kamal Narayan Omer, CEO of IHW Council.
The COVID Homecare package for journalists and families will include Tele-consulting with a doctor every three days; Regular vital monitoring by nurses on call, twice a day; diet counselling and home delivery of medicines within 10 kms of hospitals.
