VIJAYAWADA: Following reports of patients losing lives while being shifted from one hospital to another due to several reasons, Special Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy on Saturday issued an advisory stating that referral system should be followed while treating patients with respiratory problems.
As per the advisory (COVID Instant Order - 38), medical professionals who are treating patients are requested to follow the protocols issued in the COVID Instant Order 32 in order to save lives. Protocols to be followed for treating patients and those with respiratory problems are as follows:
- Whenever a patient with respiratory symptoms (even non-respiratory) approaches a hospital, first stabilise the patient’s condition and then conduct of TruNAAT tests to ascertain Covid status. If tested positive, the patient must be sent to nearby Covid hospital in a dedicated Advanced Life supported System (ALS) ambulance
- If the test result is negative, treat the patient in the same hospital, or refer the patient for specialised care to another hospital using a non-COVID ambulance after stabilisation or depending upon the severity.
- If the testing facility is not available in the hospital, stabilise the patient and refer the patient through government ALS ambulance
- Breathlessness is a very ominous manifestation and therefore extra care must be taken while following the referral system to avoid problems to the patients during transportation
- Since most of the patients are ignorant about their symptoms and consequences, they must be counselled on precautions during their hospital stay and transportation.
- All the doctors and paramedics are requested to follow the above-mentioned guidelines while treating patients