Testasy, a telemedicine provider based in Zurich and Warsaw, has activated its partner network to provide emergency medical aid and mental health support for people directly affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The telemedical support system received more than 150 requests for help in the first hour after last week’s soft launch.
Testasy provides a 24/7 team triaging patients and connecting them immediately with the appropriate physician. People in Ukraine are being alerted to the service by social media and other channels. Anyone requiring help should make contact through WhatsApp or Telegram, after which they will be assessed by a Testasy staff member and referred to a specialist doctor who will provide real-time video assistance.
Patients need only advise their preferred language (Ukrainian, Russian, English) and the severity of their condition: code red if an emergency, orange if not so serious, and green for non-life-threatening cases.
Currently, Testasy is operating with voluntary doctors who, during or after their regular shifts, provide telemedical consultations. The doctors are from different countries (Switzerland, Poland, Finland, Estonia) and cover a variety of specialisations from psychiatry to emergency medicine. Several senior doctors from Swiss hospitals (Inselspital, Universitätspital Zürich) are also part of the endeavour.
Over the first two days after the soft launch, a quarter of requests came from parents of teens or teens seeking mental health support and advice. In acute traumatic situations such as this, it is vital that mental health support is available. Therefore Testasy decided together with its strategic partner HebA Clinic in Tallinn, in parallel to its primary care services for adults, to build up a mental health telemedical support system for victims of the war and children in warzones in Ukraine.
Eventually, mental health support services will be extended to Testasy’s main telemedical platform. However, for now, Ukraine is the major focus and the operation will be scaled up to full capacity during this week.
A website www.friendsofukraine.eu outlines details of the Ukraine operation, which includes co-ordinating the provision of urgently needed medical supplies to people in need.
Testasy has built up the service as pro bono engagement. The team is looking for physicians speaking Russian or Ukrainian and as well for funding to be able to meet the demands of Ukrainians in need of medical advice.
(SK)
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