BHOPAL
The successful treatment of COVID-19 patients with early oxygen therapy conducted by Chirayu Medical College and Hospital will be introduced in government hospitals soon. The state government has started training of doctors, nurses, ward boys, sweepers at Chirayu Medical College and Hospital, which is a private entity.
The hospital through different therapies, specially the early oxygen therapy, has managed to successfully treat over 1,050 COVID-19 patients in last two months.
It’s perhaps the first hospital in India to have treated over 1000 COVID-19 patients successfully in two months. They included 80 cases of severe pneumonia, 170 cases of moderate pneumonia, 250 cases of mild pneumonia and 90 cases of acute diabetics.
State health services commissioner Faiz Ahmad Kidwai told Free Press that early oxygen therapy will be introduced in dedicated COVID-19 ICUs at all district hospitals in the state. An eight-member team including two doctors, two nurses, two ward boys and two sweepers is being trained at Chirayu Hospital. “Once trained, these teams will work as mentors for professionalised COVID care in district and government hospitals in all 52 districts of the state,” Kidwai said.
Chirayu Medical College and Hospital CMD Dr Ajay Goenka said eight teams from 15 districts of the state have already been trained who will now pass on the best COVID management practices in hospitals and health centres in their districts.
“The most important aspect of training sessions is saying goodbye to fear of managing COVID patients and rendering health care in a most disciplined manner,” Dr Goenka said.
“For many, a sweeper would be least important. But for us, the sweeper is as crucial as a doctor, as the sweeper not only manages COVID waste but also deals with the most difficult task of safely wrapping the bodies of COVID-patients in coffin cloth to ensure that there is not even remotest possibility of any fluid or swab spilling out of the body, which could spread the deadly infection,” he added.
All other members of the team, including ward boys are being trained to act not merely as attendants but as watchdogs of the COVID wards and patients. The nurses are being trained in all aspects of care to patients, while the doctors are trained in early oxygen therapy.
The medical college where over 1350 COVID-19 patients have been admitted since April 1, is perhaps the first private health care entity where medical and health teams from district hospitals are being trained. The training holds importance specially when districts like Burhanpur, Dhar, Khandwa, Khargone and Neemuch have reported spurt in cases. The state has so far reported over 8,000 positive cases, out of which around 3,000 are active, over 5000 have recovered and 358 deaths occurred.
Oxygen therapy:
Talking about the oxygen therapy, Dr Goenka said in early pneumonia 4 to 6 litres of oxygen is required per minute. For moderate pneumonia, 10 to 15 litres is required per minute. For severe pneumonia, 30 to 60 litres of oxygen is required.
Oxygen therapy is prescribed for people who can’t get enough oxygen on their own. This is because of lungs’ condition that prevents them from absorbing oxygen. It happens in cases with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, underdeveloped lungs in newborns, heart failure, cystic fibrosis, sleep apnea, lung disease, trauma to the respiratory system.
