Covid-19 patients can’t have visitors, attenders: DPH

Covid-19 patients can’t have visitors, attenders: DPH

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.05.2021 

The directorate of public health has prohibited visitors or attenders for Covid-19 patients admitted to isolation wards in dedicated Covid care hospitals, institutions and health centres to avoid further spread of the infection.

The order from the director of public health Dr T S Selvavinayagam directs hospitals to set up information desks for relatives to know about a patient's condition.

With increasing number of Covid-19 patients, government hospitals including tertiary care medical college hospitals such as Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital have been asking patient attenders to sit by the patients’ bedsides, in high-infection zones such as Covid-19 isolation wards and intensive care units. A family member sits by the side of patients without adequate PPEs, masks, gloves or face shields and monitors the patient's vital parameters such as saturation levels, feeds them and even walks them to the restroom.

While hospital administrators and doctors quote a shortage of nursing staff, Dr Selvavinayagam said permitting attendants can take infection back into the community. Over the past month, the state has found that 8-10% of fresh infections detected every day were picked up during patient visits or stays. Such attendees can also turn super spreaders when they travel between hospital and home. "If, due to unavoidable circumstances, attender visit or stay is essential, they should follow all Covid appropriate behaviour as directed by the head of the department or health officials. The attender’s health should be protected by giving him or her PPEs,” he said.

Covid-19 has been declared as a notified disease in Tamil Nadu under Section 62 of the TN Public Health Act, 1939 . “Under rule 71 (1) and (2) of the Act, exposure of other people to the infection is prohibited,” he said. While the order does not specify punishments for violation, legal experts say the rules permit the government to punish violators with imprisonment of up to three months or penalise them or do both.

State issues order as data shows 8-10% of fresh infections picked up from visiting patients