Audit Of Every Covid-19 Death, A Must Says CM Jai Ram Thakur

The Himachal Pradesh government has announced new protocols to be followed in every Covid-19 facility to ensure patients are provided good care.

Ashwani Sharma

Updated on: 27 September 2020 9:54 pm

Twenty-four-hour monitoring, constant care of every Covid-19 patient, provision of nutritious food and water, daily visits by senior doctors twice a day and audit of every Coronavirus death in government hospitals—these are new protocols which will immediately come into effect in Himachal Pradesh.

Alarmed by the suicide of a Covid-19 positive patient at Shimla’s Deen Dayal Upadhaya (DDU) Hospital on Wednesday, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur conveyed his displeasure over growing criticism and allegations of “apathy and mismanagement” by the government in dealing with the pandemic.

Today, the Chief Minister took a detailed review of the situation and assessed the prevailing conditions in major government hospitals via video conference with Deputy Commissioners, SPs, Chief Medical Officers, Principals and Medical Superintendents of medical colleges and government hospitals across the state.

“Chief Minister has passed orders to all Medical Superintendents to ensure minimum two rounds of inspection everyday, to monitor the ward facilities and service being provided to Covid-19 positive patients. Any laxity in this regard will invite action,” a government spokesperson told Outlook.

The death toll in the state stands at 170 as of Sunday and the number of positive cases spiked to 14,191. However, the state has lifted all restrictions on inter-state mobility.

Expressing concern over the increase in the number of deaths, the chief minister has directed for an audit of every single death and has ordered that every patient’s family be fully updated about the patient’s condition. The chief minister has also urged that patients with comorbidities be given special care.

The chief minister also said that proper strategy for Information Education and Communication (IEC) must be framed to motivate patients with Influenza Like Illness (ILI) symptoms to immediately rush to a hospital without delay. This will help in timely treatment of patients, he added. He also suggested appointment of separate nodal officers to ensure Covid-19 patients are provided with good facilities.