BGMEA President Dr Rubana Huq and Managing Director of Common Health Bangladesh Limited Matthew Earle Guilford inked the agreement, said BGMEA on Saturday.

Common Health will provide up to one lakh workers with a free phone-based consultation with MBBS doctors covering queries relating to primary health care, mental health, and COVID-19, according to apex body of the country's apparel industry.

The BGMEA also said the doctors will be licensed by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council and will adhere to clinical protocols based on World Health Organization (WHO) and Government of Bangladesh standards.

“Within the bounds of doctor-patient confidentiality, we will also inform BGMEA of suspected COVID-19 cases as part of efforts to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases,” said representative from Common Health Bangladesh Ltd.

As per the agreement, Common Health will work with BGMEA by providing free 24/7 telemedicine doctor consultations to workers at BGMEA member companies.

Common Health will work together with BGMEA and its members on a phased approach to promote workers’ awareness and use of the telemedicine consultations.

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BGMEA sources said the workers will be able to easily avail of their free telemedicine doctor consultation round the clock.

The worker will have to call a dedicated phone number or visits the Common Health Bangladesh page on Facebook to get the service.

Meanwhile, the employee will provide her/his name, phone number, factory name, and employee ID, to ensure that only BGMEA workers will get the service.

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The doctor will deliver the consultation to the BGMEA workers through a phone call or video call, depending upon the workers’ preference.