The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Friday announced the launch of a mobile application to “protect emotional health of the front line responders as part of the Covid-19 response in the country".

The mobile app 'MyCare+', will soon be launched under the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) initiative, the ministry tweeted from its official Twitter account.

According to the ministry, the mobile application will help users in:

• Assessing stress conditions
• Monitoring stress
• Managing stress
• Exclude other conditions
• Seeking help from mental health professionals, when needed

Earlier, the Ministry of Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, had launched 'We Care' — a campaign aimed at "providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to the health workers, orienting them on using various PPE items as per international standards, and creating an overall psycho-social environment of care and support," according to a statement on the ministry's website.

Further, the campaign also aimed to "sensitise the public, including patients and visitors at healthcare facilities, to supports frontline healthcare workers by following preventive behaviors to not only reduce the risk of infection to themselves but also reduce the work burden on and health risks for the health providers," the statement adds.

In July last year, a charitable organisation 'The Dawood Foundation' had entered into a strategic partnership with the British Asian Trust to promote mental health support among frontline workers and the people directly affected by Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the Rs1 billion programme, outreach services were to be developed to provide mental health support and referral for frontline workers, patients screened and tested for Covid-19 through the Indus Health Network and other partner hospitals, and the people in general as well.

Meanwhile, the government also recently launched the 'Pak Covid-19 Vaccination Pass App', which will help identify fake vaccination certificates and also facilitate inoculated people in carrying their digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates.