By Steven Enatu
SOROTI
The Ministry of Health has embarked on community sensitization across the country for effective response to home based management of covid19 patients.
The home based care initiative was launched last year in December by the ministry to manage mild cases of coronavirus. This was to cut the shortage of hospital space to only manage patients with severe status demanding oxygen.
The system’s guidelines say that the patient confirmed to have COVID-19 is mandated to restrict his/her activities and movements within their home unless when seeking medical care.
During the entire period of home-based isolation, the patient should not go to public places like workplaces, schools, markets, churches and meetings.
According to Edward Basenge, the program manager department of community engagement at the Ministry of Health, the drive is to sensitize the community to respect the system.
“The system will incorporate the district health team and the village covid19 task force like the Village Health Team who will directly implement the program,” Basenge said yesterday 23rd March 2021.
“The VHT’s will undergo counseling and training on how to administer simple treatment and what we call simple treatment is not far from giving food supplements to patients at home” he added.
Basenge discouraged people suffering from diseases like Tuberculosis, heart diseases, kidney disease and pregnant mothers to be close to sick covid19 patients under home based care because their immunity is suppressed.
Meanwhile the District Health Officer Soroti, Stephen Charles Okhadi said the system will rely on the trust from people to observe the guidelines under home based care.
Soroti regional referral hospital currently has 4 patients admitted in a severe state. Okhadi said the region registered a drop in covid19 cases from December last year but an increase is now seen again.
