ape Town - The National Medical Frontliners counselling line (NMF) started as a counselling service for a small group of medical frontliners at Tygerberg Hospital, and now hospitals around South Africa are inquiring about the use of the hotline for their staff.
Kayla-Tess Pattenden, a qualified social worker in the private and NPO sector, initially founded (NMF) at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town. Kayla-Tess has experience in trauma supervision and systems management.
The NMF has now grown into a National Medical Frontliners Hotline. Medical practitioners from a diversity of organisations both public and private, will be provided with virtual and encrypted counselling via ZOOM Video Calling, WhatsApp Video Calling or Messaging.
Owing to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), that recently originated in China spreading globally, South Africa is currently in the midst of a 21-day national lockdown.
Medical practitioners were exempt from this unprecedented lockdown as they are tirelessly working in the frontline in an effort to combat the devastating spread of the virus.
Covid-19 is causing serious trauma and burnout among health care workers. The Covid-19 NMF counseling hotline is an emergency counselling hotline established to serve strictly medical frontline practitioners during the virus containment period.
NMF has worked tirelessly to establish a sustainable system consisting of a diversity of SA-wide counsellors . All counsellors have gone through extensive training and assessment and are provided with every online or telephone platform to counsel for free.
The National Medical Frontliners counselling line (NMF), founded by Kayla-Tess Pattenden as a counselling service for a small group of medical frontliners at Tygerberg Hospital, is now attracting hospitals around South Africa, inquiring about the use of the hotline for their staff. Picture: NMF
According to NMF, line visibility is important, so they are looking to partner with traditional media, online media and radio stations across SA to widely share the line. NMF is excited about the growth of the counselling hotline and still fully cognisant of the need to ensure its sustainability.
In addition, NMF needs male and multilingual counsellors and would also like to extend the offer for help beyond the major hospitals to whom they are contracted.
It says accessing smaller healthcare facilities and broadcasting will assist in communicating that NMF is prepared and willing to support nationwide medical facilities.
Of vital importance for a sustainable project, NMF would also like to connect with telecommunications companies to make the line toll free and media support would go a long way towards achieving this aim, it said.