Experts call for fresh approach to flatten Covid infection curve

AMARAVATI: Medical experts are worried about the sharp increase in the death rate of Covid-19 patients in the state. Experts have called for an urgent introspection into the indiscriminate testing of suspects that is increasing the burden on healthcare professionals.

Doctors have appealed to the government to allow medical professionals to take the lead instead of having district collectors manage the situation. “This situation of a global pandemic is basically a medical emergency, which requires expertise from the respective fields such as infectious disease specialty, emergency physician, virologist, epidemiologist and community medicine and a pulmonologist. Instead of collectors, hospital chiefs should be made Covid-19 commanders to handle the situation better,” observed a senior pulmonologist associated with Covid-19 hospitals’ management.

“The mortality rate in AP is still one of the lowest in the country. There is a spike in the deaths due to the change in the weather conditions, which is triggering asthma, pneumonia and other comorbidities among the Covid-19 patients,” said state government doctors’ association president and senior anesthetist Dr Jayadheer Babu.

A few experts from other fields are also of the same opinion. “A call centre for video conferencing should be built to treat or cater to the needs of the population,” said a senior professor at GMC, Guntur. She said a patient should have access to doctors via video conference before visiting the hospital. There should be a diagnostic facility close to the doorstep.

“Triaging of patients should start from video conferencing, which would also includes allaying anxiety, supplying home quarantine kits along with betadine. If the patient develops symptoms, all the details should be known to the team of doctors before arrival. This would help them send the patients to the appropriate ward or ICU and start with treatment immediately,” said a noted general physician.

Such smart strategies can only save people and restore faith in the system, but not collectors who are blindly ordering doctors to give oxygen to each and every patient, he rued.