Bhubaneswar: To ensure adequate infection control measures in all government and private hospitals in Odisha, the Health and Family Welfare Department on Tuesday directed the hospital management and staff to strictly adhere to the following guidelines.
—All hospitals (government, private, corporate and nursing homes) are to strictly follow the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidelines, COVID guidelines and treatment guidelines issued from time to time by the central and state governments.
—It is mandatory to create a separate fever clinic and isolation zone/block in hospitals for purpose of screening ILI/SARI cases, suspected contacts, persons coming from hotspot areas and any other suspected COVID cases, to provide testing/treating facility to these persons. Such facility should have separate entry and exit.
—All patients coming to the hospital should be screened and triaged observing all IPC protocols.
—All hospitals are to ensure adequate hand washing, hand rub facilities and enforce the use of mask and social distancing.
—There should be adequate rational use of PPE by health care professionals as per guidelines.
—There should be safe handling and disinfection of equipment/instruments as per protocol.
—There should be safe handling and cleaning of soiled linen as per protocol.
—Ensure COVID waste management as per guidelines issued.
—Ensure transport and referral of patients after due emergency treatment and stabilisation in a dedicated COVID ambulance.
—Enforce strict COVID appropriate behaviour among the staff, patients and others visiting the hospitals.
—Must have facilities to deal with all types of emergency procedure for COVID-19 patients including maternity care, safe delivery and child care.
—When positive cases are detected in any section of the hospital, the other patients of the room must be shifted temporarily to another room. The room must be sanitised and terminally cleaned and can be reused after being closed down for 24 hours.
—No life-threatening procedure/treatment will be denied or deferred on the ground of suspicion of COVID infection or non-availability of COVID test report, the hospital will undertake such treatment taking all universal precaution as per guidelines.
—Separate labour room/OT facility/ICU for COVID suspect to be preferably set up to isolate such patients.
— There should be adequate signage, information, education and communication (IEC) materials in all strategic locations inside the hospital to sensitise the patients and the public.
—There should be regular reorientation of health care workers about IPC and other COVID protocols.
It may be mentioned that a number of private and government hospitals in the state had become the COVID hotspots last year after hundreds of staff were infected with the virus.
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