Even as Tripura is reeling under Covid 2.0, State Health Department, apart from ensuring adequate medical infrastructure, is also coming up with innovative initiatives for better Covid Management. Formation of Covid Crisis Management Teams, setting up Covid War Rooms etc are few of the several other steps taken. In addition all of these, couple of district administrations, especially Sepahijala District Administration launched virtual medical advice facility.
Around two weeks ago, Sepahijala District administration along with the Health department Officials started a laudable initiative that may be coined as Virtual Medical Advice at the doorstep of Covid patients. Patients staying in their home isolation can participate and communicate their issues with the experts.
“With this initiative, concerned officials are taking care of physical and mental health issues of Home Quarantined Covid patients using Video Conference. Experts give advice to patients as per the requirement of the patients”, said Rakesh Debbarma, DCM of Sepahijala also in-charge of Covid Section on Saturday over telephone.
He added, Virtual medical assistances are being provided to Home Quarantines patients on every Monday and Friday while a special session is being conducted on every Wednesday to provide psychological help to Covid patients.
The latest Virtual session was held on Friday (May 28) last in which eminent doctor of the country Dr Debashish Danda interacted with patients. In presence of the Sepahijala DM and other concerned officials Dr Danda addressed issues of several Covid patients, Rakesh Debbarma confirmed.
Explaining the purpose, Debbarma said this video conference facility is going on in addition to activities of Sepahijala Covid War Room. Through video conferencing, our endeavour is to provide medical advices to as many Covid patients as we can. In this connection, he said that as many as 800 patients in the district are in home isolation till date.
Apart from advices on health issues, Video conferencing initiative is also addressing mental health related issues and every Wednesday, a special virtual session is being conducted.
During the Covid pandemic, many people, especially those are in home isolation, are facing huge mental crisis due to heightened distress and anxiety levels. Apart from the disease induced stress, social isolation for a considerable period is deteriorating mental health of many patients, Debbarma said.
Rakesh Debbarma said, “In view of this, Sepahijala District Administration along with the Health department is conducting special virtual sessions to solve psychological issues of patients. Every Wednesday, we are conducting such session in which psychologists from Kolkata join and interact with patients through video conferencing”.
