Halodoc Released a Mental Health Canal, Cooperating with Psychologists

Halodoc provides a special psychological consultation channel to help with mental health management during the corona pandemic. This health technology startup has hooked up to 500 registered psychologists and psychiatrists.

Halodoc VP Marketing Felicia Kawilarang said, mental health statistics need to be a concern in Indonesia, even before the pandemic. Based on the results of the Ministry of Health’s Basic Health Research in 2018, the prevalence of mental-emotional disorders over the age of 15 years rose to 9.8% compared to 2013 which was 6%.

In the same research, the results of an interview with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview also showed the prevalence of depression in populations over the age of 15 years. only 9% of the more than 12 million depressed sufferers, who undergo medical treatment/taking medication.

The negative stigma in the community against mental illness is still one of the challenges for those who have experienced an indication of the disease, especially in terms of access to psychological treatment.

“Now, through telemedicine services that can be easily accessed via smartphones are expected to be one of the solutions and the first step in handling, especially during this pandemic,” Felicia said in a press release on Monday (6/29).

Pre-Available in the Chat with Doctor Service

Felicia said, previously clinical psychology and psychology services were available at the Chat with Doctor service in Halodoc. However, according to him, the company presents a special channel related to mental health to maximize these services during this pandemic.

Users who wish to consult can immediately open the Mental Health service on the Halodoc homepage and choose the area of ​​Clinical Psychology or Mental Medicine needed. The user can then consult the chosen psychologist/psychiatrist.

After more than two weeks of launch, the company noted the Halodoc Mental Health special channel has increased the number of user access by 400%. “The most consulted complaints include complaints about depression, anxiety, and stress,” Feliciana said. This pandemic condition has the potential to increase mental health disorders.

Early prevention measures also need to be a priority. In addition to optimizing teleconsultation access, Halodoc also educates users through various mental health education articles so that users can more easily read the signs experienced by themselves or close relatives.

Previously Launched PeduliLindungi

Previously, Halodoc was present at Caring and Protect which was initiated by the Ministry of Communication and Information. The application that was launched last March has now been accessed by more than 4 million users throughout Indonesia.

The main feature of this application is to map and monitor the movements of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 or patients under surveillance and people under surveillance.

Halodoc CEO Jonathan Sudharta said the presence of access to the company’s telemedicine services in the PeduliLindung application was the first step to strengthen a more comprehensive coronavirus handling ecosystem in Indonesia.

“With our telemedicine services, the community can reduce visits to health care facilities when they are not in an emergency,” Jonathan was quoted as saying in a press release on Wednesday (6/24).

Director-General of Post and Information Technology Information and Communication and Information Technology Ahmad M. Ramli said, users can activate the Care Care application on their smartphone when they travel between regions and start their activities and work again during the period of adaptation to new habits.

Users can always access accurate information about PDP and ODP movements with user records and correct identification data and telephone numbers. “If you feel symptoms like influenza, do not hesitate to consult with a doctor in Halodoc, so we can anticipate the risk of disease early,” Ramli said.

Ramli explained, Caring Protect can trace, tracking, and fencing, where this application performs two main functions, namely first, surveillance or surveillance for the government by detecting the movement of people who are exposed to the coronavirus for the past 14 days, and the second is connected with various cellular operators.