Aiming to promote the mental well-being of those who test positive for COVID-19, a round-the-clock counselling centre was inaugurated by Revenue Minister R.B. Udhayakumar and Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju at the Madurai Corporation building, on Sunday.
The counsellors at the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC), who have prior experience in counselling persons living with HIV/AIDS, will provide tele-counselling to give psycho-social support to those who test positive for COVID-19, said Madurai Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan. These counsellors have also been trained by experts from M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, he added.
District Collector T.G. Vinay said that the counsellors will immediately call a person who has tested positive, to explain the importance of self isolation and the safety precautions that the person has to follow. The counsellors will provide psychological reassurance to the patients to emphasise that they will be completely cured of the infection.
“Usually, a person who tests positive tends to become anxious and worried about the safety of their family members. The counsellors will reassure them that this is an infection caused by a virus and that there are sufficient medical facilities available to completely recover from it,” he said.
It is important to provide psychological support to the patients within the first 24 hours of testing positive, said S.M. Akila, an ICTC counsellor. “Social stigma and wrong information about the pandemic creates unnecessary panic and fear among the patients. Hence, we will provide the patients with the right knowledge about the virus and constantly assure them that they will completely recover,” she added.
