Delhi asks panel to look at minimising Covid fatality rate

NEW DELHI : The Delhi government earlier this week told a 12-member committee, set up on directions of the Supreme Court to inspect Covid-19 hospitals in the national capital, to look into factors that can help reduce the deaths caused by Covid-19.

According to an office memorandum from Delhi’s principal health secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, the government also provided a checklist containing questions such as time taken for triaging (the practice of assigning treatment based on urgency) Covid-19 patients; if early warning scores to determine whether a patient might deteriorate were followed; and whether the hospital had a standardised investigation protocol.

“Since committees constituted for the inspection of hospitals in Delhi, consequent to orders passed by the Supreme Court, are already carrying out their mandate in a continuous manner, it would be appropriate that specific attention may now be focused upon aspects which have a bearing on the reduction of Covid-related mortalities,” the memorandum read.

This comes after the Delhi government released protocols for management of Covd-19 patients, including having a dedicated health care worker monitoring each critical patient. The protocols had also said that availability of dialysis has to be ensured by all hospitals as patients with Covid-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome may also develop acute kidney problems.

Dr Mahesh Verma, a member of the committee and vice-chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, said, “The government has provided us with a checklist of questions to look into whether the hospitals are following protocols for admission, triage, critical care, and infection control. Even one death that can be prevented should be prevented and the committee has just been asked to look into whether there is anything that can be done.”