COVID-19 Patients To Be Categorised Depending On Severity, Will Get Treatment At 3 Health Facilities

Union Health Ministry has proposed classification of health facilities into three categories - COVID Care Centres, Dedicated COVID Health Centres and Dedicated COVID Hospitals, ensuring adequate treatment for patients at different levels of the coronavirus.

COVID Care Centres will deal with cases with people having mild symptoms of the virus. Hospitals, hotels, schools, stadiums, lodges, both government and private in use fall under this category.

Dedicated COVID Health Centres will deal with patients with a clinically moderate level of seriousness. Dedicated hospitals, hospital blocks fall under this category, ensuring a separate entry and exit in the centres.

Dedicated COVID Hospitals will deal with severe and critical cases.

The ministry, in a press conference on Tuesday, assured that the hospitals will have fully equipped medical care equipment, each bed to have Medical Oxygen, ICU and Ventilators for hospitals dealing with severe cases, along with upgrading existing quarantine centres.

The ministry specifically asked all the centres not to mix up suspected and confirmed cases. The government has also guided how to manage field-level cases. The step was taken after it was observed that 70 per cent of coronavirus cases in India consist of either case of infection or exhibit mild symptoms.

The Union Health Ministry also announced insurance for health workers, who have lost their lives due to the exposure to the infection while treating patients, which will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme. 22.12 lakh public health care providers and community health workers will be allotted insurance cover of ₹50 lakhs.

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