Is Chennai corporation’s focus on COVID-19 patients dwindling?

CHENNAI:  While the city corporation is attempting to tackle rising cases, some residents say that they are receiving little or no guidance, from authorities after testing positive. A 29-year-old resident of Anna Nagar, was visited by Corporation authorities, when she tested positive 10 days ago.

They pasted stickers in her house and told her to contact them if she needed assistance, but  was not taken for screening, her partner told Express. 

“They simply told her to consult government doctors. She decided to go for home quarantine. However, after her fever did not subside after five days, she was advised to get a CT scan. When we called the Corporation staff, they asked her not to go out and did not follow up after that,” said her partner.

In another such incident, Radha (name changed), a resident of Gopalapuram, living with her 70-year-old mother, tested positive last week. “ We were on immunosuppressants and  called the Covid helpline. They asked me to call 108 for ambulance and get ourselves admitted,” Radha said.

“We only received calls from the city corporation twice- the first time to trace contacts and then to ask us who recommended us the King Institute-where we chose to get admitted. The sanitary inspector did not pick our calls till the end,” she said. 

A corporation health official told Express that such incidents may be exceptions. Volunteers and sanitary inspectors generally assist positive patients. “In a few days, even these exceptions would not happen since the full force of the FOCUS volunteers will be there  to help patients,” the official said.