‘Covid-19 control model of Ahmedabad worth emulating’

GANDHINAGAR: The Ahmedabad model of Covid-19 control including Dhanvantari raths or mobile medical vans, micro-containment zoning on basis of Aarogya Setu app surveillance, intensive testing and home isolation was acknowledged to have delivered good results by the national team of experts from Delhi visiting Gujarat on Friday.
“The measures taken by Ahmedabad and Gujarat will be taken by us to other states. We will recommend them to be replicated in other parts of India,” said Dr Vinod Paul, member of the Niti Aayog.
Dr Paul was part of the four-member expert panel including Dr Balram Bhargava, director general of Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, Delhi and Arti Ahuja, joint secretary of Union health and family welfare department that visited Surat and Ahmedabad.
‘Perceptible improvement in Covid-19 situation in city’
Dr Guleria said that there is a perceptible improvement in Covid situation in Ahmedabad between today and when he visited the city last on May 9 to review the Covid-treatment protocols. He had then cited late hospitalization and comorbidities as key reason behind high number of deaths.
It needs mention that in July, the average daily Covid cases are down by 39% while deaths have dived 72% as compared to June. Among measures lauded by the central team, nearly 500-plus Dhanvantari mobile clinics treat 10,000 patients on OPD basis, these have recently been also equipped to test for Covid. As part of intensive isolation, Sanjivani teams visit each home isolated patient daily.
“Remdesivir and Tocilizumab are not ‘rambaan' (guaranteed life-saving action) drugs,” said Dr Guleria.