Banna launches helpline to address post Covid complication
Ranchi, June 14: The additional chief secretary (health), Arun Kumar Singh has also directed all deputy commissioners that all Covid-19 positive patients should be compulsorily brought to the Covid hospitals and no home isolation shall be granted. The letter also states that all possible contacts of positive patients must be tested within 24 hours.
“In the context of quelling the remaining daily case load completely and in order to proevent any further spread of Covid infection in Jharkhand the district administration and the health department should ensure that all Covid positive cases should compulsorily be brought to the respective Covid care hospitals, district covid health centres and district covid hospitals and no home isolation shall be granted,” the letter states.
The letter also directs for proper questioning of all such patients for the purpose of finding all possible contacts for effective contact tracing. Now that the number of daily cases is very less the extent of contact tracing can be strengthened at the district level and all possible contacts of infected persons must be tested within 24 hours,” the letter states.
The deputy commissioner of the district has been authorised to take decision on home isolation only on case-to-case basis after due application of mind.
“In view of the steep decline in number of Covid cases across states and with easing of restrictions in other states there can be an influx of passengers from other states with higher positivity rates which might lead to an increase in the Covid infection in Jharkhand. Earlier we had shortage of beds but now with enough beds we do not want to take risk on new cases and they would have to be hospitalised for treatment,” said state health nodal officer Siddharth Tripathy.
Meanwhile, the state on Sunday witnessed only two deaths due to Covid taking the total mortality figure to 5084. The day also witnessed 154 new cases taking the active load 3395. The recovery rate is at a high of 97.53 per cent while mortality rate is a a tad high at 1.48 per cent.
State health department released a helpline number to address problems of post Covid complications of patients.
The Nistha Swasthya Sampark post covid helpline 07314821385 was launched by state health minister Banna Gupta on Monday.
“The helpline number would provide free post-Covid care for recovered patients in four intervention districts of Jharkhand, Ranchi, East Singhbhum (Jamshedpur), Dhanbad and Bokaro and help set up teleconsultation platform with specialists and super specialists to address their problems. It will also provide continuity of care and support for patients with chronic conditions, rural residents, elderly and those with disabilities,” said health minister Banna Gupta.
The Jharkhand health department has asked all civil surgeons, medical superintendents of government medical college and hospitals to strictly follow the guidelines and checklist at all Covid hospitals and post-Covid cases for mucormycosis (black fungus) as laid out by Union health ministry following consultation with experts from AIIMS Delhi.