Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Tuesday, issued an SOP for setting up of COVID Care Homes (CCH) by Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in gated residential complexes and colonies for suspected, mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
Issuing an order, the BMC stated that communities living in gated complexes should create small CCHs comprising up to 20 beds within their vicinities which should be managed by the RWAs. Such CCHs are aimed to provide psychological comfort to patients who will feel at home and will also reduce burden on existing COVID health facilities.
Issuing the SOP for setting up CCHs, the order said that community halls, empty flats, common utility areas or any place within the complex having an isolated location should be preferred for a CCH. The CCH must have separate entry and exit doors and have adequate space to place beds within 6-ft distance.
“Separate partitions should be made for suspected and confirmed cases and shouldn’t be allowed to mix under any circumstances. Adequate cross ventilation should be provided with ACs set between 24-30 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity should be around 40-70 per cent as per CPWD guidelines,” the order stated.
Furthermore, the order also advised for providing either a volunteering doctor residing within complex or from nearby hospital along with a caregiver to the CCHs. Along with this, the BMC will appoint a rapid response team (RRT) that will visit the CCH and will rectify and provide anything that a CCH will be missing before being operational.
“The zonal RRT will also be responsible for medically examining the patients and designating them as suspected, asymptomatic, mild or pre-symptomatic case. Patients admitted to CCHs will use triple-layer masks all the time. The RWAs will monitor patients through video cameras to ensure that no patient leave facility premises and visit their household, parks or other common utility areas,” the order added.
The RWAs as per the SOP are also directed to put all bio-medical waste such as PPE kits, syringe, gloves, masks and others in a yellow garbage bag which will be disposed as per Biomedical Waste Management guidelines.