K’taka ropes in RWAs to run Covid care centres
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has roped in resident welfare associations (RWAs) and other community organisations to run Covid Care Centres (CCCs) to isolate and manage coronavirus patients, an official said on Saturday.
“Every hand makes a difference in the fight against the pandemic. RWAs and other community organisations will facilitate home isolation of mild and asymptomatic (cases) within their premises,” said Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey.
A number of RWAs have already come forward to facilitate home-isolation of Covid-19 patients, for which the Health Department has issued the guidelines.
To set up a CCC, Pandey said, the RWA/organisation must choose a vacant houses/flat/community hall within the residential premises, with separate accommodation for women and children.
“Individual occupancy in a room of 10 x 10 feet, preferably with attached bathroom and toilet. In the absence of individual rooms, 4-6 positive persons shall be accommodated in a hall with attached bath and toilets,” he said.
If a group of individual homeowners in a street or neighbourhood are willing to arrange an independent unoccupied home as CCC, they will be encouraged to do so.
Similarly, he asked the RWAs to arrange for temporary partitions of either PVC or side screen for individual privacy and to maintain a physical distance of six feet between two beds.
“Beds, mattresses, furnishings and linen, uninterrupted water and power supply shall be made available. Homemade food either from the patient’s house or from a common kitchen shall be arranged,” said Pandey.
Likewise, garbage management, sanitation and logistics should be managed exclusively and separately for the Covid block. Biomedical waste especially must be treated with 1 per cent hypochlorite solution, assuring a contact period of one hour before the final disposal.
To ensure medical attention to the patients lodged in the RWA-run CCCs, they should tie up with a medical team or a doctor should be housed within the premises for triaging and regular clinical support.
These CCCs should also have a linkage with an affiliated private hospital, dedicated Covid health centre or hospital for referring the Covid patients.
Similarly, support staff should be present round the clock in two or three shifts for the care of patients in the ratio of 1:12, apart from supervision and arrangement of food.
Daily reporting of admissions and the health status of patients should be shared with the government.
Likewise, most other guidelines applicable to a normal CCC are also applicable to those run by RWAs.