Patients with mild symptoms can order food online in state

CHANDIGARH : The Punjab health department has allowed the patients with mild or no symptoms undergoing Covid-19 treatment in government facilities to order food online.

The facility will be provided only after the approval of the doctors concerned.

The move comes after reports of people avoiding testing due to fear of mismanagement and lowquality food being provided in these facilities.

As per the protocol, the asymptomatic patients are kept in isolation facilities, patients with mild symptoms are treated in civil hospitals while those with fullfledged symptoms and co-morbidities are treated in government medical colleges where they are treated under supervision of specialist doctors.

Punjab Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said the decision was taken to encourage people to come forward for testing even if they have mild or no symptoms or if they have come in contact with an infected person.

A government official said there were complaints that food in government facilities was not up to the mark and even asymptomatic patients were being given food meant for those with fullfledged symptomatic patients.

Only 3% of people with influenza-like

illness symptoms who reported at government facilities were found positive for the virus, the health department days reveals.

These symptoms include fever, shivering, malaise, dry cough, loss of appetite, body ache, and nausea.

As per the revised protocol, the health department has instructed the civil surgeons not to pick persons after 8pm if their report is found positive. “The move is aimed at reducing fear among the patients. The staff has been instructed to counsel the patients at their homes,” an official said.