Health Service Association raises issues for Containment of Pandemic

Health Services Association, West Bengal raises and suggests the following issues as urgent and crucial measures for containment of on-going CoVid pandemic in the State of West Bengal,

1. The WHO guideline of “Test – Test – Test” to be followed in letter & spirit.
   1. All Fever cases, ILIs, H/O Contact (Primary/Secondary) with positive/suspected cases attending OPDs, ERs, Clinics etc.
   2. All cases admitted in the IPD.
   3. All HCWs on duty.
   4. Community level testing & surveillance, as per random-cluster sampling protocol designed by the expert committee.
   5. Testing of maximum sample size in the Hot spot areas.
   6. Regular and sustained testing to be continued.

2. Safety of the HCWs.
   1. Arrangement of adequate quantity of PPEs etc. of recommended quality.
   2. Installation of Collection Kiosk for nasopharyngeal Samples (DRDO, GOI), where the technical person remain protected during the risky procedure.
   3. Institution of On-line patient interaction system, where the doctor will be stationed in another separate room of the hospital.
   4. Arrangements of accommodation, foods and logistics of the on-duty HCWs.

3. Maintenance of infrastructure and supply of consumables, drugs, devices etc of the hospitals.

4. Emphasis on containment program in the urban slum and densely populated areas of Kolkata, where physical distancing during lock down period become meaningless. Special task force of epidemiologists and social scientists are to be engaged for programme planning and implementation.

5. Maintenance of Real-time on-line Dashboard of the update status. Include all CoVid positive deaths with or without co-morbidities as CoVid mortality.

6. An Advisory committee with independent experts to be formed with Epidemiologist, Public health specialist, Microbiologist, Infectious disease specialist, Statistician, Modeller, Town planner for providing appropriate guideline and local & customised modification/adaptation.

7. Provision of essential life-saving services to the people, e.g. ration, medicine, health care at the door step.

8. Arrangement of Quarantine and Isolation centres. Vacant schools, colleges, factories, clubs in local Ward/GP level may be arranged.