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Since 27 February, Romania’s 24h/7 national hotline, Tel Verde (Green Line), has answered over 150 000 calls from Romanians asking for the latest information and advice on COVID-19. The hotline employs medical and health experts.

WHO/Europe provides financial support to engage responders, technical assistance to the Romanian authorities and Green Line on logistical planning and rapid fact-checking, as well as background documentation. Setting up a hotline for emergency situations was part of Romania’s emergency risk communications plan, also developed with assistance from WHO/Europe for emergency preparedness.

For COVID-19, the hotline serves three critical purposes:

• Establish a link between responders and people.
• Understand people’s risk perceptions and concerns.
• Provide public health advice.

Expanding service to meet demand

The hotline started with five operating lines that were scaled up to 15 within a few days. Since 17 March, the hotline has expanded to 60 lines and has relocated to the press room of the National Arena, the largest football stadium in Romania.

With plans to extend the service to 100 lines, the main challenge is to find sufficient staff, explains Florentina Furtunescu from the National Institute of Public Health. “Human resource capacity needs to match technical capacity and we are always looking for ways to engage more personnel. It is a very demanding activity, given that the average number of calls varies between 40 and 120 calls per phone line. But it is also an opportunity because servicing the hotline is about the hands-on learning of risk communication and improving professional skills.”

The people and agencies working behind the scenes

Many call the Green Line for information about testing activities and where and how they are performed. Others may be concerned about measures for those returning from a red or yellow area with higher risks of transmission.

“We are often asked about the mode of transportion from the airport to home isolation, about procedures for repatriation, about locations for self-isolation, or about medical leave certificates or other legal forms,” says Dr Alexandra Cucu from the National Instiute of Public Health. “Mask use, special measures for chronic patients, continuity of care for people with chronic illness – such as for oncology patients and cardiac patients – are other examples of issues that we answer. Some people ask if there were infected people on a particular flight, while others complain about neighbours that have left the house despite isolation measures.”

Green Line responders are trained medical and health care personnel from the National Institute of Public Health, the Ministry of Defense and other partner institutions who bring together extensive expertise from the fields of public health, epidemiology, hygiene, family medicine and psychology, to name a few. They are backed up by a support group that helps formulate answers to specific, technically complex questions, in collaboration with other epidemiologists, health promotion specialists, lawyers and scientists.

Specialists from the National Institute of Public Health instruct all responders about symptoms, case definitions, recommended preventive measures, essential sources of information and phone communication skills. Their training is updated every day, based on any changes that may have occurred in the affected areas or with methodologies, specific recommendations and national regulations.

Collaboration across sectors

The Green Line is a prime example of collaboration across different sectors. It is operated by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and the technical scientific arm of the Ministry of Health while the Special Telecommunication Service (STS) provides telecommunication support. The Ministry of Defense staffs the lines during night shifts, ensuring continuous 24/7 service.

The services of Green Line are also available for Romanians living abroad via another dedicated phone number. Given that Green Line is not a medical emergency number, citizens are instructed to call 112 for any health emergencies.

Green line number in Romania: 0800 800 358

Green line number from outside Romania: +40 21 320 20 20