Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh government has for the first time issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the functioning of post-Covid clinics and has made the presence of an
allopath, an Ayush
doctor and a
psychiatrist mandatory for patients feeling long-term effects of
Covid.
The order states that although the number of people recovering from Covid is increasing, about 10% of patients experience health problems such as exhaustion, body aches, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath, besides stress and mental health issues.
Post-Covid clinics will play a significant role in dealing with such situations. Apart from a physician, the government has also directed the deployment of a psychiatric counsellor, two staff nurses, two ward boys, ECG technician and one computer operator as support staff. The room should be well ventilated and have enough space to maintain social distancing.
Instructions have been given from the government to arrange for pulse oximeters, thermal scanners, blood pressure machines, respirometer, ECG machine, stretcher, wheel chair, PPE kits and masks at the clinics.
The letter has been issued by additional chief secretary (health) Amit Mohan Prasad to all chief medical officers and chief medical superintendent of district hospitals.
In Ghaziabad, a post-Covid
Clinic has been functional for the past 10 days at District MMG Hospital.
As far as the SOP is concerned, officials said it is only for those individuals who have fully recovered after being Covid infected and suffering from other health problems. At the time of registration, patient’s information such as unique lab id for Covid test, whether he was symptomatic or asymptomatic after testing positive will be collected from the state Covid portal.
Special focus will be given to patients with comorbid conditions and those show SARI (Severe acute respiratory infections) and ILI (influenza like illnesses) symptoms or any other serious illness during the infection.
It has also been instructed by the government to refer a patient to a psychiatrist if there is any sign of mental illness. Those who need hospitalisation will be admitted to District hospital for further treatment.
Meanwhile, doctors advised patients to lie down and take deep breaths in case of breathing difficulty. By doing this, the air brackets of the lungs are opened and the body gets sufficient amounts of oxygen.