Ziqitza Rajasthan - Importance of 104 Health helpline to bridge the health and Patients ratio gap
                     Ziqitza Rajasthan - Importance of 104 Health helpline 
to bridge the health and Patients ratio gap
The medical emergency number 104 in India has been 
nothing short of a miracle and a boon to its citizens. 
Over the last decade, India’s healthcare has undergone 
a tremendous transformative journey. The health sector 
has been able to reach the last mile and be able to 
provide primary healthcare services, and the 
government policies, introduction of new health 
schemes, increased public private partnership, etc, has 
played a cascading role in it. With everything evolving in 
the health sector, introduction of the 104 medical 
helpline number has been the most important and took 
the evolution in India’s health sector to the next level.
Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd, one of India’s leading 
emergency services and assistance providers, calls 
the introduction of medical helpline number 104 
revolutionary; although the concept isn’t novel and 
many countries already offer it. It is revolutionary 
because it enables people to avoid medical 
emergencies, by being able to seek free medical 
consultation from a qualified doctor over a call. 
Ziqitza calls the introduction of the 104 medical 
helpline number a huge step towards preventive 
healthcare, as it makes primary healthcare and 
assistance accessible to the people with zero cost 
involved.
It was the Government of Karnataka that first initiated the 
104 medical helpline services (Arogyavani) to its people. 
Arogyavani provides medical consultation and health 
counselling services, and also acts as a grievance redressal 
system. Inspired by the success of Arogyavani in Karnataka, 
the Government of Punjab in the year 2014 partnered with 
Ziqitza Healthcare launched a 104 medical helpline call centre 
and offered its services in three languages - Punjabi, English 
and Hindi. As part of public private partnership, 
Ziqitza Rajasthan in partnership with National Health Mission 
soon launched the 104 medical helpline numbers in the states 
of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The other states where 104 non-
emergency medical helpline numbers are active are Assam, 
Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and 
Madhya Pradesh.
Ziqitza Limited elaborates that the primary function of the 104 
medical helpline is to provide health related services to the 
general public. These helplines assist the public in seeking the 
best care and solution available. Some of their role is listed below 
for easy reference:
   They act as an information directory and assist the public in 
seeking information about health service providers, diagnostic 
centres and services, clinics and hospitals etc.
   They register complaints against persons or institutions which 
are guilty of negligence, deficiency in services, corruption etc.
   They act as an efficient response channel for health scares and 
localised epidemics.
   They offer counselling and advice for depression, anxiety, HIV, 
AIDS, RTI, STI etc
  They Provide information about various government schemes, 
institutions and information on blood banks
   They handle grievances related to patient healthcare, equipment 
at hospitals or health centres, doctors’ availability and capabilities, 
etc.
  They offer medical counselling on family planning,  on diseases 
considered taboo, drug rehabilitation services etc.
The 104 health helpline number has been able to bridge the gap 
between the patients and health professionals. The 104 helpline 
numbers largely operated by ZHL Rajasthan in various states, is 
responsible for offering assistance for minor physiological 
illnesses, distresses and ailments. However, these helpline 
numbers acquired a much more important role during the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The number 104 was declared the national 
COVID-19 helpline number, and since then the 
Ziqitza Limited Rajasthan operated helpline numbers in Madhya 
Pradesh and Odisha has successfully handled and received an 
unprecedented number of COVID-19 related queries. 
Ziqitza Health care operated centres witnessed a huge increase 
in inflow of calls, from receiving an average 2000 calls per day to 
receiving over10,000 calls per day. And these calls were a mix of 
both general ailment related queries and COVID-19 related 
queries.
While the medical helpline service is available across 
many states, there are still many who do not know about 
this number and are not aware about it. It becomes the 
moral obligation of those who know about it, to make 
others also aware about the helpline number. The scope 
of the 104 medical helpline number is vast and dynamic. 
The helpline numbers have played an essential role in 
recent times, especially now that we’re rebuilding our 
nation after the COVID-19 pandemic. The helpline played 
a major role in providing information to people during the 
lockdowns. These medical helpline numbers prove that 
geographies are no more boundaries, and cannot act as 
hindrance for someone seeking healthcare.