With Covid cases rising, SDMC to provide 1-month advance medicines to chronic disease patients

New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) With coronavirus cases rising steadily, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to provide one month's advance medicines to non-Covid patients visiting its health facilities with chronic diseases, officials said Saturday. "If they get medicines in advance, they will not have to go to hospitals owing to which there will be less chances of Covid infection in them," a senior official said.

The officials also said the civic agency has made elaborate arrangements at its hospitals and health centres for Covid patients including setting up separate registration counters, waiting rooms, queues, dedicated lab testing facilities.

The officials said an order in this regard has also been issued by the civic body. "Senior citizens visiting our health units should be attended on priority as they are most vulnerable group of people. Non-Covid patients especially suffering from chronic ailments, visiting SDMC hospitals and dispensaries, should be issued at least one month medicines," the SDMC said.

They said if there is a sudden spurt in Covid cases, chances of the elderly getting infected is more due to their low immunity.

The Delhi government's health department said Saturday the city recorded 1,607 fresh COVID-19 cases with two people succumbing to the virus. The positivity rate was 5.28 per cent.

Through the order, all medical officers have been directed to maintain adequate stock of essential medicines such as Paracetamol, Azithromycin, ORS, Levocetirizine, cough medicines, Pantocid among others.

Essential items like PPE kits, masks, gloves, sanitisers, liquid soaps, pulse oximeters etc. should also be stocked for the prevention and control of coronavirus, the order said.

To meet any emergency requirement, oxygen supplying units and PSA oxygen plants set up at hospitals have been asked to remain in operational mode, it said. Advisory has been issued to refer patients suspected of heavy virus infection to the higher tertiary care nodal hospitals for further care and treatment, officials said.

The officials added that the civic agency has also appointed a nodal officer at each hospital to ensure sanitisation, infection prevention and proper management of biomedical waste.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 this year during the third wave of the pandemic.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave of the pandemic which was largely due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. PTI AKM TIR TIR