Teams to monitor patients in home care

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for increased monitoring and care of those COVID-19 patients who are on home care and isolation so that these patients do not worsen suddenly and go into a critical state.

Creating awareness on home isolation and the red flag signs to watch out for is very important and each individual and family should be made aware of their risks and the precautions they need to take to prevent the disease from worsening.

Ward-level committees should take up the responsibility of monitoring families on home isolation, Mr. Vijayan said here on Saturday, while speaking to the media.

War-level committees should have a pool of pulse oximeters, and at least five numbers and each local body should have a clear plan for transportation of patients to hospitals and a proper list of vehicles and ambulances that they could readily use for moving sick patients without delay, he said.

Mr. Vijayan claimed that a clear plan of action or flowchart on the next course of action for a person testing positive that the health system should follow has been charted out. Accordingly, test results are sent to the respective district programme management and support units, who will hand over the same to rapid response teams (RRTs) as well as the individual.

The RRTs would get in touch with the individual, check his health condition, and give directions on the next step of care. Those who do not have facilities for proper home isolation could be accomodated in domiciliary care centres arranged by the LSGs.

For the primary contacts at the individual’s home, all help, including food or medicines would be ensure by ward-level committees.

He said that those on home care should be moved as quickly as possible to the hospital if at all they experienced shortness of breath or fall in oxygenation. The rapid response teams should be contacted, who should take care of the next course of action.

He said the State’s oxygen position was at present satisfactory, even though the requirement for oxygen seemed to be going up day by day. He said hospitals, in case of shortage, should get in touch with the oxygen war room and the district authorities, who would make the necessary arrangements.