BMC intensifies focus on Home Isolation in Bhubaneswar

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Bhubaneswar:  With the spike in the COVID-19 cases in the city the authorities of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has given intensive focus on the Home Isolation patients. Apart from engaging 79 doctors with the RRT teams and four each at the three administrative zones respectively, physical verification of the facilities for Home Isolation has become the focal point as the RRT teams verify and check the physical requirements of a separate room and toilet at the home of the patients concerned.

In fact, each RRT team ensures visit to every Home Isolation patient across the city and perform these major duties, i.e. delivery of Home Isolation medical kit, pasting of the poster declaring the Home Isolation facility at the place visited, detailed instructions for the care givers of the Home Isolation patient and last, but not the least ensuring the facilities like separate room and toilet for the patient so that others in the family would not be affected.

BMC is putting all its efforts on the efficient management of Home Isolation patients as many COVID-19 positive ones are opting for it. Home Isolation rate has increased from 42 per cent to 73.50 per cent in the city. During the last five days ending yesterday, the Home Isolation rate was 95.44 per cent. BMC has 54 RRT teams with 18 in each ward to monitor the patients. Helpline no 1929 has been opened round-the-clock for the last two weeks. Door to door mega health screening is being carried out in 20 non-slum areas by 210 teams.

The Home Isolation patients are visited by the RRTs under the Zonal Deputy Commissioners (ZDCs) and the teams after meeting the patients and their designated care givers ensure that there are actually facilities in place for the patients. They also hand over the medical kit to the patients.

While the number of doctors associated with the RRTs differ from zone to zone, the four medical officers each at each zonal headquarters make it their daily practice to call individual Home Isolation cases and talk to them to know their condition and whether they need any shifting assistance in case of any deterioration in health. Each medical officer is assigned five to six wards each under the ZDCs.

There are 26 doctors with the RRT teams apart from the four zonal medical officers exclusively for the COVID-19 duty in South West Zone, the North Zone has 30 doctors with the RRTs and South East Zone has 23 doctors with the RRTs for better coordination of Home Isolation cases across the city.

IT TOOLS IN USE:

Apart from the regular visits by the RRT teams, IT tools have also been put to use to make the monitoring of the health conditions of the Home Isolation patients more efficient, effective and personal on daily basis.

The four zonal medical officers posted at three zones each are doing video conferencing with IT platforms like Zoom Meeting to keeping the patients of the zones in the loop along with senior doctors from the BMC, Additional District Urban Public Health (ADUPHO) under the Health and Family Welfare Department so that the process would be effective.

Not only the videoconferencing, but for easy interactions with each patients the zonal medical officers have also formed WhatsApp groups of patients under their jurisdiction so that they could be always in coordination with the patients and the patients also could keep the doctors informed regarding their health status.

HOUSEOWNERS NEED NOT WORRY:

It is to be noted that the houseowners and neighbours should not be worried about the Home Isolation patients in their vicinity. However, the Home Isolation patients should not go outside their facilities and the care givers must ensure this positively.

“The asymptomatic and mild symptomatic COVID-19 positive patients are recovering faster and they need not worry about hospitalization. The care givers should also ensure balanced and nutritious diet for the Home Isolation patients and keep the patient’s room sanitized and well-ventilated,’’ said the leaflets circulated by BMC for public awareness.

Clinical Psychologists and psychiatric social worker engaged at 24X7 1929 Call Centre in Bhubaneswar Operations Centre of Smart City opined “we are giving tips to the Home Isolation patients on the utility of their time at home and how to develop positive thoughts while undergoing the treatment process. They are happy now at home and getting the care by the doctors on consultation.’’

They also said that Home Isolation patients and their care givers are given counselling on how to manage stressful situation and anxiety due to COVID-19 pandemic.

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