Coronavirus: Pakistan’s health ministry launches messenger experience with Facebook

• The automated experience will help people determine if they need to be seen by a doctor for coronavirus, and get the latest updates on the number of cases and regions affected by the virus.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (NHSRC) launched a Messenger experience, with support from Facebook and Botisfy.com, to ensure people are kept up to date, and have access to the right information.

The automated experience will help people determine if they need to be seen by a doctor for coronavirus, and get the latest updates on the number of cases and regions affected by the coronavirus. It also helps people find labs nearby and provides answers to the most common questions about the coronavirus.

“In times of crisis, people turn to their friends and family on platforms like Facebook, hence it was important for the #DigitalPakistan team to help the ministry in coming up with a strategy leveraging the Facebook platform.

Using Botsify's world class solution we were able to quickly and easily deploy a multilingual Messenger experience with a robust feature set and we will continue to iterate and improve the experience of the public,” added Tania Aidrus, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak and as cases continue to grow, Facebook is committed to supporting the global public health community and local ministry’s work to keep people safe and informed. It is focused on three main areas - connecting people to accurate information and helpful resources, limiting misinformation and harmful content around the virus, and supporting global health experts.

“Facebook’s support on the global coronavirus crisis will be crucial for strengthening public awareness and empowering our citizens with key health tips that will keep communities safe in Pakistan and around the world. The Messenger experience allows our Ministry to scale our support and serve citizens seeking up to date information on the coronavirus, while keeping our helpline open for more critical cases,” added Dr. Zafar Mirza, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health.

Facebook has also introduced a new feature to assist people in receiving accurate information about the coronavirus. Anyone who searches for information related to the virus on Facebook or Instagram will be shown educational pop-ups on top of search results connecting them to expert health organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan’s NHSRC.