People with any symptoms of Covid-19 should visit a hospital without delay so that their lives can be saved, Puducherry Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner A Anbarasu said on Saturday. There were instances of patients going to hospitals at the last minute and dying despite the treatment given to them, he told reporters.
Stating that government and privately-run medical college hospitals were equipped with necessary infrastructure and manpower to treat coronavirus patients, he said that with the increase in testing facilities, more than 3,700 samples were tested on Friday leading to the identification of 419 positive cases. Anbarasu, who is also the Development Commissioner, said primary health centres and also sub-centres in rural areas had been geared up with facilities to test samples.
Each of the sub-centres would collect 100 samples a day and test them. While rural areas had 15 such centres there were six centres in urban areas. He said 25 mobile units were also pressed into service and 20 more such units would be introduced soon to collect samples. In addition to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College Hospital, the ICMR-sponsored Vector Control Research Centre and JIPMER and most of the private medical college hospitals were also doing the testing and Puducherry had set a record of doing more examination of samples, Anbarasu said.
The number of beds were also being increased in government hospitals and in private institutions. While government hospitals would have more than 2,100 beds additionally, private colleges would have five more beds soon. "We are providing the best food to Covid-19 patients taking treatment in government institutions," he added. Oxygen beds were also adequately available. Anbarasu said to keep a track on those resorting to self-medication the government had asked the medical shops to collect names and phone numbers of people purchasing anti- fever medicines.
Doctors practising privately should also refer patients approaching them with complaints of fever, cold and other complications to hospitals as they might be potential Covid-19 patients. The government was inclined to bring down the positivity rate as much as possible. Health Secretary T Arun said door-to-door surveillance with the participation of the members of self-help groups in rural areas was part of efforts to assess the health condition of residents and to protect them from the pandemic. He said the late arrival of patients for treatment at hospitals was the cause of people dying. The government had taken steps to purchase 50,000 more RT-PCR equipment, he added. Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar was also present.