Hospitals should inform Covid patient’s condition to family on daily basis, appeals an Advocate to DC

May 27: With the advent of the 2nd wave of coronavirus in the country, the fresh cases of Covid positive cases are climbing up the ladder in southern Assam. Barak Valley in general and Cachar district in particular are witnessing surge in the number of Covid cases. Moreover, the number of deaths has increased manifold in all over Assam. As per Dr. Bhaskar Gupta, Vice Principal of Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH), those who opt for home isolation usually do not monitor their oxyzen level properly and when the patient becomes too serious, they are brought to the hospitals. It then becomes very difficult for the doctors to save such critical patients.

Dr Gupta is correct in his analysis, but at the same time there is another side of this scenario. Very often, people feel scared to get admitted in hospitals after being detected as Covid positive. It is a common perception among many that once a patient is admitted in the Covid ward/Covid ICU of SMCH or any other hospital (either govt or private), it becomes almost impossible for the family members of the patient to know about the daily status of their patient. This anxiety compels many to take the risk of opting for home isolation inspite of the risks involved in it.

It is in this context that Advocate Dharmananda Deb from Silchar has written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, wherein he has put forward an important suggestion which could very well ease the anxiety of the family members of the patients who are admitted in hospitals after being detected as Covid-19 positive.

Advocate Deb in his letter sent to DC Keerthi Jalli by email on Thursday wrote, “I intend to state you that the information about the condition of indoor Covid-19 patients are now mostly unvailable on a daily basis to their family members or attendants which is indeed a cause of great anxiety for them.” He stated that this is not only a cause of concern for the family members of the Covid patient but also for the patient himself/herself who remains in great stress.

Dharmanada Deb further wrote, “The community at large is losing confidence, trust and faith in the working of the Government and Private Hospitals in the absence of a system or machinery where the family members are briefed or updated about the treatment administered to the patient and actual status or condition of the patient thereof regularly on daily basis by the Hospital Management.”

It is in this backdrop that the Advocate requested the Deputy Commissioner to issue necessary directions to the management of both Government and Private Hospitals in Cachar district to furnish status report of the indoor Covid-19 patients every 24 hours to their respective family members or their attendants which should contain the patients condition, treatment provided and details of the attending doctors.

As regards the process of communicating the status report to the family members of the Covid patient, Advocate Dharmananda Deb suggested that the same can be communicated via Whatsapp, SMS, e-mail or any other mode or an option can be given to family members or attendants to collect the report from the hospital daily at a specific time.

Well, it seems that the suggestion provided to the district administration by the Advocate can go a long way in the overall treatment procedure of such patients and definitely improve the Covid situation in the district. Once the people becomes sure that they will be communicated about the status report of their near and dear ones admitted in the hospital on a daily basis, then they might be able to let go the fear from their minds and voluntarily go to hospitals once they are detected symptomatic. This will also eliminate the concept of reaching the hospitals late when the condition deteriorates, thereby enabling the doctors to save the lives by timely intervention.