The health ministry has framed detailed guidelines to manage suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases in separate graded facilities. The Centre has decided to grade facilities and designate them as Covid Care Centre (CCC), Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) and Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH).
A Covid Care Centre would be a basic facility where patients showing mild symptoms would be referred to. This would be a makeshift facility –– like a stadium, school, hostel or a quarantine facility. A person showing moderate symptoms would be admitted to a dedicated Covid Health Centre, which would be a designated hospital or a separate wing of a big hospital. It would mandatorily have adequate oxygen supply for each bed.
A person with severe symptoms would be referred to a Dedicated Covid hospital, which would have intensive care, blood bank and oxygen supply facilities.
The gradation comes after a detailed study of countries like Italy and Spain. Sources said that the biggest lesson for India from the two countries is to avoid cohorting of patients.
This is why the three types of healthcare facilities would have separate areas for suspected and confirmed Covid cases. Till a patient is confirmed as Covid positive, he would be kept in a separate area earmarked for suspected patients. The three facilities would be connected with the CCC attached to a DCH. If a patient with mild symptoms gets serious, he can be shifted to a proper hospital.
