Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada Kota Srinivasa Poojary said here on Wednesday that of the active COVID-19 patients in the district, 14.30% are in hospitals and the remaining 85.70 % are taking treatment by being in home isolation.
Hence, the Minister said that Dakshina Kannada district administration should constitute over 78 teams of expert doctors to enquire about the health conditions of patients under home isolation and offer them guidance and proper treatment.
The teams of doctors should visit the homes of patients under home isolation for providing treatment. Officials should be appointed to supervise the visit of teams, he said.
Speaking at a meeting of medical experts’ committee on COVID-19 control at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, the Minister said that of those who are taking treatment in homes, 75% are in urban areas.
Of 8,414 active COVID-19 patients in the district, 7,210 are at homes and the remaining 1,204 are in hospitals, he said.
He said that details on the comorbidities of patients aged above 45 years and below 45 years and who are under home isolation should be collected to offer them treatment if they faced any other health issues. The Minister said that people should not come to the streets unnecessarily during the curfew relaxation period.
If private hospitals collected fees more than the ones fixed by the government, patients should complain against such hospitals to the Health Department. Steps will be taken to make those hospitals return the excess fee collected.
Remdesivir injection should not be given to all patients in general. The country’s medical institutes have said that it should be given only to those patients who had initial breathing problem. Hence it should be given only to such patients who needed it.
Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, suggested that the services of students at eight medical colleges could be made use of to enquire about the health of patients under home isolation. The administration should make a video clipping of the steps to be taken by those who are under isolation and it should be circulated in social media.
Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra said that religious institutes opening Covid Care Centres should obtain the permission of the Health Department before opening such centres as they should provide basic facilities to patients at such centres.