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What is the News?
The Central Government has released new guidelines in the wake of the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in rural areas.
About the Covid-19 guidelines for rural areas:
Three Tier Structure: The guidelines recommend a three-tier structure to manage Covid-19 pandemic in rural areas:
- Firstly, to establish 30-bed Covid Care Centres(CCCs) in villages to treat mild cases.
- Transforming community halls and panchayat buildings into CCCs. These centres should also be equipped with at least two oxygen cylinders.
- Secondly, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Sub-district Hospitals shall handle moderate cases of the Covid-19 cases. Persons having an oxygen saturation level below 94 will be treated here.
- Thirdly, district hospitals or private hospitals should manage severe cases with ambulances available for the rapid transport of patients.
Other Key Covid-19 guidelines for rural areas:
- Testing: Community Health Officers(CHOs) should be trained in performing Rapid Antigen Testing(RAT). These RAT kits should be provided at all public health facilities including Sub-centres (SCs) and PHCs.
- Symptomatic Cases: The symptomatic cases can be treated at the village level after teleconsultation with the CHO. Further, the cases with comorbidity or low oxygen saturation will be sent to higher centres.
- Surveillance: In every village, active surveillance should be done for influenza-like illness. This will periodically be held by ASHA workers. The Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee(VHSNC) will help ASHA workers in this regard.
- Ayush Doctors: Qualified AYUSH doctors, final year AYUSH students or final year B.Sc nurses may be considered to run the Covid Care Centres(CCCs).
- Contract Tracing: The guidelines also focused on the need for contact tracing at every level.
- Covid kit: Each Covid-19 household would get a “home isolation kit” with paracetamol, ivermectin, multivitamin tablets. The kit will also have provisions for periodic measurements of patients’ oxygen level and fever.
Source: Indian Express
