Covid Protocols Issued For Odisha Hospitals To Keep Infections At Bay 

In a bid to decongest hospitals and ensure that healthcare personnel as well as non-Covid patients do not get infected, the Odisha health department on Thursday issued a set of guidelines for the facilities.  

In a letter to the Superintendents of all Medical College & Hospitals, Director of Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar and RGH, Rourkela, CDM & PHO all districts, the Health department had asked for strict enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour in hospitals.

“Taking into consideration the recent resurgence in Covid cases in the State, we need to maintain social distancing to decongest the health facilities and also to see that health care personnel as well as non-Covid patient do not get infected,” the department said.   

The department said all elective surgeries are to be stopped and emergency surgeries need to be taken up with universal precautions. It prohibited entry of media representatives inside OPD and IPD of hospitals.    

The following steps are to be taken up by the facilities: 

1. Strict enforcement of Covid appropriate behaviour in hospital with infection control measures. 
2. Non-essential admission is to be avoided. 
3. All elective surgeries are to be stopped and emergency surgeries need to be taken up with universal precautions.
4. In indoor one attendant is to be allowed for serious patient and no attendant to be allowed inside the ward for ambulatory patient. 
5. In OPD the medical officer should avoid advising frequent re-visit of the patients if not required. 
6. Media may not be allowed inside OPD & IPD. 
7. Number of DDC counters should be increased and social distancing enforced.  
8. Dedicated fever clinic, isolation ward & testing facilities are to be established as per previous guideline. 
9. Must have facilities to deal with all types of emergency procedure including maternity and child care with Covid prevention protocol. 
10. People are to be encouraged to utilise existing telemedicine services for their ailments as per previous guideline. 
11. To ensure that no emergency case is denied timely medical care in the name of Covid.  
12. Ensure adequate signage / IEC material in strategic locations of the hospital to sensitise the patient & general public about Covid appropriate behaviour. 
13. Any other steps are to be adopted by Hospital Administration depending on local situation to ensure social distancing. 
14. Strict infection control practices to be ensured in hospitals as per Advisory circulated by the government dated January 12, 2022.