NEW DELHI: The patients, who will avail free oxygen concentrator from the Delhi government, will need to self-monitor oxygen level in every six hours for 14 days and maintain a written record of the observations, say the standard operating procedures (SoPs) issued by the directorate general of health services (DGHS) on Saturday.
The device will be issued after physical verification of the place, where the patient stays and submission of relevant address proof, discharge slips prescribing short term oxygen therapy (STOT). The voter identity card will serve as the proof of normal residence of the person and in case of minors the parents’ voter ID card will suffice.
The district team will also keep follow up of all the patients started on STOT by tele-presence on a daily basis and by weekly physical visits from nearby facilities. “Maximum duration which the concentrator will be loaned to a patient under this policy is two months, post which the concentrator will have to be returned to the concerned facility.
If the oxygen therapy is required after two months, then the patients will be re-evaluated by a physician and will be prescribed on long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) as per the existing government policy of pre-Covid pandemic period,” says the SOP issued by Dr BS Charan, additional director, DGHS, on Saturday. The SOP further says that in case the patient is suffering from any pre-existing pulmonary illness, then the patient is required to be referred to a specialist for expert evaluation and prescription.
The concentrator will be delivered at home during the working hours (till 8pm) same day (on which the request is made). “In case the patient faces any difficulty till the delivery of concentrator, he/she is to be advised to immediately contact 102 and shift to a non Covid hospital. The district nodal officer will supervise and ensure installation and maintenance of the concentrators at patients home with assistance of the team,” says the SoP.