BMC Enlightens Senior Citizens on Sachetak App Functions, Benefits Through Workshop

Bhubaneswar: With an aim to protect senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic by addressing their various health issues, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) organized an awareness programme at Biju Patnaik Park in the Capital City on Wednesday morning to help the elderly population, especially senior citizens to understand the functionality and benefits of the Sachetak App.

The app, developed by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, and commissioned by BMC, exclusively meant for the co-morbid and senior citizens in the Odisha capital.

More than 50 senior citizens from different parts of the city attended the first edition of the programme between 6 am to 7 am with a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity to know about the mobile application.

During the one-hour long programme, Subrat Panda, Joint Secretary to Government, Water Resources Department and Senior Supervising Officer, COVID-19, BMC joined the event as Chief Speaker and spoke about the benefits of the App, especially online doctors’ consultation facility. “As elderly population and senior citizens are the most vulnerable section to the COVID-19, they should use this app extensively to consult with specialist doctors without stepping out of their homes,” Shri Panda advised.

Similarly, Zonal Deputy Commissioner of BMC South East Zone, Ansuman Rath, too addressed the occasion and urged senior citizens to take precautions even at home such as wearing masks, avoiding exposure to those who cough or sneeze and to avoid unnecessary visits to public places.

“The Sachetak App will prove to be a really helpful tool for senior citizens to avail basic medical services as well as in the dissemination of essential information related to COVID-19. Such programmes will be conducted on a regular basis at different places in order to reach out to the senior citizens of the city to ensure their safety and well-being,” Rath explained. 

Besides, COVID Sachetaks and Community Organizers of South East Zone have participated in the workshop and helped senior citizens personally in addressing their queries and downloading the App on the spot.

“It’s a very good initiative by BMC to protect the vulnerable people (adults/senior citizens) as they become more susceptible to infections due to several factors. We cannot avoid some of these risks but as a society, we have to learn and obey the COVID-19 guidelines and cooperate with the Government for the larger good,” said R.B. Nayak (73), a retired IAS officer, who attended the programme and was seen downloading the Sachetak App.
The app helps the Civic Body in keeping a track of the vulnerable section of the society in the capital city.

How To Download:

The Sachetak app is currently available for download on the Google play store on all android phones and one can view it on www.sachetakapp.in. also.
Users can register using their mobile number and a one-time password (OTP). After registering, one has to enter the following:

• Age
• Occupation
• Ward of residence in Bhubaneswar
• Address
• Comorbidity or existing diseases
• Any type or surgery etc.
• Caregiver and doctor details

This database will help identify people at risk. The BMC can also use this data to plan healthcare camps in advance for a particular area where vulnerable groups are present.

Benefits of the App:

• Explore resources shared on COVID protection
• Consulting a doctor online for specific diseases
• View responses from doctors
• View updates on COVID quarantine, positive cases, etc in their ward as well as other wards and Bhubaneswar and Odisha
• Update their profile if necessary
• Share feedback & refer friends and family

Among other officials, Purandar Nanda, Deputy Commissioner BMC and Debashish Sahoo, Deputy Commissioner (GST), Bhubaneswar Circle coordinated the programme along with the staff of BMC South East Zone.

At the end, the participating senior citizens expressed their pleasure and satisfaction over the initiative taken by BMC and requested the officials to organize more such awareness programmes at other places in Bhubaneswar in the coming days with an assurance and commitment for an active participation and support from them.