VIJAYAWADA: The State government has empowered Collectors to notify private hospitals, private nursing homes, private clinics or government hospitals in the district as Covid hospitals. Further, they were asked to appoint one senior government officer as nodal officer to facilitate the management of private hospitals, while notifying the private hospitals as Covid hospitals. The fresh instructions were issued in wake of the revised guidelines from the Central government, as there has been a steady increase in the new Covid-19 positive cases in the recent weeks.
In another order, the health department asked the Collectors to provide a home isolation kit to all Covid-19 patients, who are under home isolation. The latest orders were issued with the Ministry of Health issuing revised guidelines on home isolation of mild and asymptomatic cases and their management.
They were asked to provide the caregivers (ANM, ASHA, supervisory staff and medical officers) with adequate quantities of N95 masks, sanitiser, oximeters and PPE kit and utilise services of e-Sanjeevini OPD services to the maximum extent by duly educating the ASHA workers and the public.
The Collectors were further directed to publicise the district, mandal and ULB level control room phone numbers frequently to enable needy persons to get assistance.Most importantly, the patient will be in home isolation for seven days only after being tested positive, if there is no fever for three successive days there will be no home quarantine. There is no need for retesting after the home isolation period is over, the order specified.
The Collectors were also directed to review fire safety measures in all Covid hospitals rigorously with the fire safety and disaster management officials. Covid Care Centres operationalised during the first and second waves will now function in all aspects (identification and allotment of staff, training of the staff, landline phones, internet facility) for patient management.Further, they were asked to ensure proper compliance to the government orders on charges to be collected by the private hospitals under Dr YSR Aarogyasri scheme.
All details to be uploaded on Covid dashboard
The Collectors were also requested to upload the details to Covid dashboard about the notified hospitals, nodal officers appointed, category-wise staff allotted, bed availability in each Covid hospital, oxygen facility, LMO tie-up, buffer stock maintenance of drugs and consumables in all Covid hospitals and CCCs