As the State prepares to re-start its economy from September 1 after months of COVID-19 lockdown, the health services machinery is fully geared to meet any exigency, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said on Sunday.
Adequate stock of oxygen cylinders, medicines and other consumables required to treat COVID-19 patients were available in all government hospitals. With the withdrawal of the e-pass system, an increased number of patients were expected to travel from the districts to tertiary care or super-speciality hospitals in major cities for treatment of various ailments.
Wearing masks was the only option to control the spread of COVID-19 now. Some people think that management of this pandemic is the government’s responsibility. “While the State is ready to provide the required manpower/infrastructure and extend all assistance, controlling the spread is impossible without people’s participation. We are in the final stage of enacting a law to make masks mandatory. If all people in the State wear masks while stepping out of their home for 15 days, it will be possible to control the spread and drastically bring down the cases,” Dr. Vijayabaskar told The Hindu.
He said early intervention was the key to successful treatment of COVID-19. Many patients indulged in self-medication due to stigma or some other reason resulting in late referral to hospitals. “This is a challenge to doctors since the patient would turn up after developing breathing complications.”
Dr. Vijayabaskar said Tamil Nadu was ahead of others in treating senior citizens and pregnant women affected by COVID-19. More than 5,000 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 recovered well, delivered babies and got discharged. The number of deaths had come down in the last few days and a comprehensive strategy was in place to minimise the spread of the virus.
With over six months of treating COVID-19 patients of all ages and co-morbid conditions, doctors and paramedical staff had gained good experience that would help in a more effective control and management of the pandemic, the Minister added.
