NMMC urges docs to advise 50+ patients to get treatment at CCCs

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) administration has appealed to the physician in the city to advise COVID 19 patients to get treatment at COVID Care Centre instead of at the home isolation. The civic body interacted with over 300 doctors over video conferencing and discussed patients above 50 years of age.

Last month, an internal study of NMMC revealed that around 80 percent of deaths due to COVID infections are found in people between 50 years and 70 years. Thus, the civic body has made it necessary for keeping COVID 19 patients above 50 years at institutional quarantine centre or COVID centre.

Delay in diagnosis and home isolation leading to more deaths among senior citizens during the second wave of COVID 19.

Abhijit Bangar, the municipal commissioner, had directed medical officers of all civic health centers to admit the COVID patients above 50 years of age to a civic COVID centre or a private hospital as per their demand. However, if a patient wishes to remain in home isolation, the patient has to obtain the certificate of the doctor under whose guidance he or she will be in the home isolation.

In this regard, the civic chief interacted with more than 300 private doctors online and discussed in detail the health status of the patients in the home isolation and compliance with the government's guidelines in this regard.

While reviewing the health status of the patients in the second wave of Covid as well as the demand for availability of beds available on the municipal helpline, it was noticed that the oxygen level of COVID persons in home isolation was rapidly declining. Therefore, it has been observed that these patients need ICU beds or ventilators directly. This condition is extremely dangerous in terms of the health of patients and 80% of the total deaths in the second wave have occurred above 50 years of age.