BGMEA and Common Health signed a collaborative agreement to provide free telemedicine doctor consultations for garment workers.
BGMEA President Dr. Rubana Huq and Managing Director of Common Health Bangladesh Limited Matthew Earle Guilford inked the agreement on behalf their respective organizations.
Common Health will provide up to 100,000 workers with a free phone-based consultation with an MBBS doctor, covering queries relating to primary health care, mental health, and COVID-19. All doctors will be licensed by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council and will adhere to clinical protocols based on World Health Organization and Government of Bangladesh standards. Within the bounds of doctor-patient confidentiality, we will also inform BGMEA of suspected COVID-19 cases as part of efforts to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
As per the agreement, Common Health will work with BGMEA by providing free 24/7 telemedicine doctor consultations to workers at BGMEA member companies. Common Health will deliver the following project components:
- a) Providing 100, 000 free telemedicine doctor consultations to BGMEA workers covering issues related to COVID-19, primary health care, and mental health,
- b) Reporting suspected cases of COVID-19 to BGMEA and to employers to support disease prevention and control efforts, within the bounds of doctor-patient confidentiality,
- c) Working together with BGMEA and its members on a phased approach to promote worker awareness of the program and use of the telemedicine consultations, and
- d) Ensuring appropriate resourcing for high quality deli very of the above components, including doctor onboarding and management (e.g. gradually scaling to 20 or more doctors, as required)
Common Health will serve up to 1,00, 000 BGMEA workers in the Gazipur and Savar areas (50,000 in each geographical area with a “phased approach” over a span of four months). To ensure workers are aware of and can use the service, Common Health will work with BGMEA on factory outreach.
BGMEA workers will be able to easily avail their free telemedicine doctor consultation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the following process:
- The BGMEA worker calls a dedicated phone number or visits the Common Health Bangladesh page on Facebook,
- The employee provides her/his name, phone number, factory name, and employee ID, to ensure that only BGMEA workers are able to use the service,
- The doctor delivers the consultation to the BGMEA worker through a phone call or video call, depending upon the worker s preference,
- If the doctor suspects that the patient may have COVID-19 or be highly at risk for the disease, the case is reported to the BGMEA and the rele vant factory, and
- If the employee is interested, s/he will have the option to voluntarily enroll in services that provide family health coverage, unlimited 24/7 telemedicine consultations, and other critical COVID-19 benefits at very low costs through Common Health.
Common Health is a purpose-driven business that uses digital and mobile technology to advance universal health coverage and improve health. Incorporated in the United States with subsidiaries in Bangladesh and other countries, the company works with emerging middle-class consumers across fast-growing low- and middle-income countries. Common Health is member of UHC2030 — an initiative of the World Health Organization and the World Bank — and is a global implementing partner
