VISIT HOSPITAL ONLY IF ESSENTIAL

For Soumya Sree Patel, HR professional in the city, the reason for going all out when stocking her first-aid kit was basic — she wanted to avoid going to hospitals, or near them, for minor issues to avoid the possibilities of she or her family members contracting the virus. “I had been following the spread of the virus very keenly and knew things looked bad. I worried about access to medical care given the situation in the hospitals, so I got everything I could think of that I thought we might be able to use ourselves like bandages, gauze, alcohol wipes, antibiotic, BP and sugar level monitors,” Soumya explains. Addressing fears such as Soumya’s, Dr Ravi Sankar

Erukulapati, senior consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist, talks about why, unless there is an emergency, one should try not to crowd hospitals and instead stay home for immediate and perhaps even better treatment. “For mild and asymptomatic cases, it is better and advisable to go for home-based treatments rather than to hospitals,” says Dr Ravi.

“Resources such as manpower, beds, equipment and medicines are scarce in hospitals now, and it is also people’s duty that they use it judiciously and leave it for the needy.” Dr Ravi feels that health can be monitored well even at home with precautionary steps and proper medication, along with regular exercise and diet management. In conclusion, though, Dr Ravi cautions people to consult doctors before self-medicating at home with half-baked knowledge received in social media.