Kerala to allow at-home, private treatment, medical students to join COVID duty

Ernakulam: Kerala, once hailed for its relatively competent covid-19 mitigation initiative, is now struggling with the resurgence in cases and plans to allow treatment of patients at home or in private hospitals.

Kerala’s total cases are inching closer to the 20000-mark, and nearly half of these are active cases. The state has been recording between 700 and 1100 cases almost every day for the past ten days.

Occupancy rate at 101 Covid First-Line Treatment Centers or CFLTCs is nearly 45%, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. These centres, with total 12,801 beds, are repurposed halls and other buildings where patients with mild symptoms are being treated. He also announced preparing more CFLTCs with additional manpower.

“In the second phase, 229 CFLTCs with 30,598 beds are being made ready and in the third phase, there will be 480 CFLTCs with 36,400 beds. The basic CFLTC team consists of a medical officer, a co-team leader, a staff nurse, two lab technicians and two pharmacists. These numbers will be increased as required. 1,679 personnel were trained for the covid brigade.



The training for others will begin immediately," said Vijayan.

It is dreaded the ailment may spread further in the coming days, and the state government is making long haul arrangements, said Vijayan. Indeed, even as certain states had just connected with private clinics or permitted at-home treatment, Kerala had made it required for patients to get conceded at authentic treatment habitats up until this point.

A protocol will be readied for patients with mild symptoms to be allowed treatment at home or in private hospitals. Around 86 private hospitals will be engaged and treatment charges may be capped at the lowest levels in the country. The treatment will be free from empanelled private hospitals for the beneficiaries of certain public-run medical schemes.

Nearly 200 public hospitals staffers in Kerala are currently infected and hundreds others have been sent into quarantine.

For additional manpower, the government has decided to ask medical students in the state to report for covid duty. This is in addition to the nearly 8000 medical staff hired since January.