Shillong, Apr 3 (UNI) The Meghalaya government has asked the super-speciality North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) hospital to ensure that a decentralized model to break the transmission chain of COVID-19.
“NEIGRIHMS must take all the necessary steps to ensure that a decentralized model of treatment is provided to the suspected and infected patients in the region,” a government official said.
The State health department has also suggested that NEIGRIHMS should issue an advisory to the regional medical institutions, to avoid referring and sending patients who would fall in the case definition of COVID to NEIGRIHMS.
The official said the suggestion is based on the fact that COVID-19 does not have any cure and it can be treated only through symptomatic treatment, which can be provided at the place of origin and this would greatly reduce the risk of spread of infection.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the surface of many positive cases in the North Eastern States, State Chief Secretary, M.S.Rao wrote to his counterparts of the different North Eastern States including Sikkim informing them of the State decision to issue a protocol for transfer of non-COVID-19 critically ill patients to the NEIGRIHMS.
NEIGRIHMS Director, Dr D.M. Thappa, said that NEIGRIHMS will admit only critically ill non-COVID-19 patient duly certified by the concerned State Health Authorities.
He said the number of accompanying attendants of the non-COVID-19 critically ill patient will be limited to one.
Thappa has also informed that the data of the ambulance, driver, etc of the critically ill patients and accompanying person be maintained and certified by the State Health Authority at the border and that the order mandates quarantine for 14 days to attendees of patients coming from other State.
Further, he said that the protocol stands effective until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
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