C'garh home treatment of COVID patients allowed on pilot basis

    Raipur, Aug 1 (PTI) On a pilot basis, the Chhattisgarh
government has allowed asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to
undergo treatment in isolation at home, a health official said
on Saturday.
    In a letter to all district collectors on Friday, the
state's Health Secretary Niharika Barik Singh said the
district administration can allow `C' (asymptomatic) category
COVID-19 patients to remain in home isolation, he said.
    The health department also released a detailed set of
conditions and guidelines which will have to be fulfilled
before putting any patient in home isolation, he said.
    Initially, 285 coronavirus positive patients across 28
districts -- 50 of them from Raipur district -- will be
allowed to undergo treatment at home.
    A 24X7 call center and control room will be set up in
every district to monitor the treatment of these patients.
    Before allowing home isolation and treatment, a
district administration team will inspect the house.
    A house where a patient is to be kept should be at
least a 3BHK (bedroom-hall-kitchen) one with sufficient
cross-ventilation and separate toilet-bathrooms.
    But a COVID-19 patient suffering from serious ailments
such as heart disease or cancer or those who are living alone
shall not be put in home-isolation.
    A red sticker with required information will be pasted
on the front of a house where a COVID-19 patient has been
isolated.
    If the patient develops breathing trouble, constant
pain in the chest or head or any other complication, he or she
will be immediately shifted to a COVID hospital. A rapid
action team will be on stand-by for this purpose.
    If the patient/family members violate the isolation-
protocol they will be shifted to COVID Care Center and will
face action under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the official
said.
    As of Friday, Chhattisgarh had reported 9,192
coronavirus cases, including 2,908 active patients and 54
deaths. PTI TKP
KRK KRK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)