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Director general, World Health Organization

The Saudi Ministry of Health’s 937 service center received over 1.4 million calls in the past month amid growing concern over the global coronavirus pandemic. The service center answers health inquiries as well as questions on the coronavirus.

According to the center, the calls included 496,185 medical consultations, 82,934 complaints, 452,049 appointment requests, 108,148 coronavirus inquiries, 216,584 coronavirus medical inquiries and 281,541 general queries.

Coronavirus inquiries covered home isolation procedures, whether the virus is transmitted by shipments and goods, symptoms, and what to do if one comes in contact with someone who has the virus or has been traveling.

Service at the center is provided by over 1,000 employees, including doctors and customer service professionals, 24 hours a day throughout the week through the center’s multiple channels. These include the unified number 937, a Twitter account (@saudimoh937), email address (937@ moh.gov.sa), and the instant chat feature available on the ministry’s website.

The center is planning to launch advanced digital channels and services that employ the latest technologies.

The 937 service center provides medical consultations, bookings for primary health centers, medical referrals and treatment requests. It also handles complaints, provides updates on transactions, receives creative suggestions and ideas and submits reports for service improvement.

SPA Coronavirus inquiries through the Saudi Ministry of Health’s 937 service center covered home isolation procedures, whether the virus is transmitted by shipments and goods, symptoms, and what to do if one comes in contact with someone who has the virus or has been traveling.

The biggest challenge facing countries in containing the pandemic is the lack of personal protective equipment for health care providers. Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus