Centre Government release new guidelines in the wake of the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in rural areas. Government said that a gradual entering is now being seen in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas as well.
The ministry of health and family welfare said that there is a need to enable communities, strengthen primary level healthcare infrastructure at all levels to make stronger Covid-19 response in these areas while continuing to provide other essential health services.
Guidelines Follows :
- Health ministry guidelines said that in every village the active surveillance should be done for influenza-like illness/severe acute respiratory infections(ILI/SARI) periodically by ASHA workers with help of Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC).
- Community health officer (CHO) will determine the seriousness of the infection by teleconsultation and recommend cases with comorbidities and low oxygen saturation to higher centres.
- Health ministry also said that the CHOs should be train in performing rapid antigen testing (RAT) and the kits should be made at all public health facilities.
- Health ministry said that these patients should be counselled to isolate themselves till test results are available.
- Those who are asymptomatic but having history of high-risk exposure to COVID patients should be advised quarantine and tested as per ICMR protocol.
- Guidelines also focusing on contact tracing as per Integrate Disease Surveillance Programme’s (IDSP) guidelines that those testing positive should be allow to quarantine at home by following the protocols issued by the ministry.
- The health ministry directed the VHSNC to mobilise resources through local PRI to make provisions for these equipment to stressing on the need to monitor oxygen saturation levels.
- Thermometers and pulse oximeters can be given the families in the rural areas on loan and follow-up visits should be undertaken by frontline worker/volunteers/teacher following require infection prevention practices.
- A home isolation kit shall be provide to all such cases which should include require medicines such as Paracetamol 500 mg, Tab. Ivermectin, cough syrup, multivitamins besides a detail pamphlet indicating the precautions to be taken, medication details, monitoring proforma for patient condition during the home isolation, contact details in case of any major symptoms or deterioration of health condition and the discharge criteria.
These guidelines come out after Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a high-level meeting on the Covid-19 situation, directed government officials to make a distribution plan for oxygen supply to rural areas and.
PM ask officials to focus on testing, including door-to-door testing and assist health care workers in rural areas.
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