Use IVR technology to do survey instead of putting people at risk: AAP

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Panaji: AAP leader Valmiki Naik has said that state government should use IVR technology to conduct the health survey instead of putting people at risk.

“At the time of announcing the proposed community survey, the CM Pramod Sawant had cited the steps taken by district administration of Bhilwara in Rajasthan as the inspiration for his decision. However, after seeing the details of the mechanism & the teams constituted for the same, it appears that the proposed effort is simply a data-gathering exercise by Govt machinery that is normally used for election purposes,” Naik said.

“The Bhilwara model was a response to a specific threat of community spread of Coronavirus in certain hotspots. The effort was not just a data-gathering survey, but included health screening and even testing. The teams constituted for the Bhilwara was made of health workers, not election workers.”

Naik added “Aam Aadmi Party completely fails to understand the intention behind the proposed community survey. What is the urgency that is making the Govt expose  thousands of staff and lakhs of citizens to potential transmission of coronavirus?”

“If it is being genuinely conducted with an intent to collect information and data that will guide future steps and decisions, the same can be done with technology, without spending the money, time and effort required for such a gargantuan task, in addition to putting people’s health at risk. AAP recommends that the Govt conduct a risk-free version of this survey by IVR (Interactive Voice Response). This is the same technology used when one calls any helpline or customer service, including that of Goa Electricity Dept.”

“In this case, an automated call would go to every verified phone number listed for Goa. IVR can be used to gather all required data, such as current location, Covid symptoms, travel history etc.”

“Such a mechanism would ensure no person-to-person contact, be more cost-effective, less labour-intensive, and would provide much more direct data by virtue of contacting each person individually, instead of one person answering for the whole family.”

“Based on the responses, Govt will be able to focus its limited resources on the actual cases that require further investigation, including screening & testing.”

“AAP again cautions against unnecessary misadventures that would undo the discipline and perseverance of Goans of the past two weeks.”

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