Doctors' body requests Union health min to reconsider revised policy for discharge of COVID-19 patients

Kolkata, May 11 () A representative body of medicalpractitioners in government service of West Bengal has urgedUnion health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to reconsiderthe revised policy for discharge of COVID-19 patients preparedin consultation with the ICMR.

Noting that different strains of 'SARS-CoV-2' areprevailing across the country with separate morbidity andmortality profile, the Association of Health Service Doctors(AHSD) said, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)guidelines cannot be exercised uniformly everywhere.

In February, the International Committee on Taxonomy ofViruses (ICTV) had announced 'severe acute respiratorysyndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the new name of thevirus.

"As Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi are flooded with caseswith perceived scarcity of beds and apparatus and too high bedoccupancy rate, the ICMR's recentmost discharge protocol andadvisory on quarantine stay may be applicable there having noother alternative.

"But in West Bengal and many other states wheregeographical spread is not yet established, dischargingconfirmed cases without....sampling can't be the choice.Asymptomatics may potentially transmit the virus," the letter,dated May 10, said.

The AHSD urged the Union government to take upstate-specific focused intervention with the ICMR.

Pointing out that the current COVID-19 outbreak hasprovoked social stigma, the letter said, if any coronaviruspatient is released only on the criteria of not having fever,his neighbours may refuse to accept him in the locality.

"It has also been experienced that coronaviruspatients with mild symptoms or no symptoms are not encouragedfor home isolation by his family and close relatives," theletter said.

The letter further urged setting up of one testinglaboratory in each district of the country.

Besides one additional RT-PCR laboratory should beidentified in each district for frontline COVID-19 warriors bythe Centre and new machines should be supplied withoutdisrupting the ongoing tuberculosis elimination projects, theletter signed by AHSD general secretary Manas Gumta said.

The revised discharge policy for COVID-19 casesannounced by the Union health ministry on Friday said,coronavirus infected patients developing severe illness orhaving compromised immunity will have to test negative throughreverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testbefore being discharged by a hospital.

However, moderate cases of COVID-19 and pre-symptomatic, mild and very mild cases need not undergo testsbefore being discharged after resolution of symptoms.

According to the previous set of rules, a patient wasconsidered fit to be discharged if he or she tested negativeon day 14 and then again in a span of 24 hours. SUSMM MM