Gurugram allows RWAs to set up small Covid care centres

GURUGRAM: Amid spike in Covid-19 cases in Gurugram, the district administration has allowed upscale condominiums, gated housing societies and NGOs to set up small Covid care centres while using their own resources.

Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg, said in his order: “Requests have been received from gated housing societies to set up small Covid-19 care facilities run by the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), housing societies and NGOs using their own resources.”

“This will help reduce the burden on existing facilities for managing pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic and very mild cases of Covid living in that particular society, and that such an order would be extremely crucial to check the exponential increase in Covid cases,” Garg said.

However, Covid care centres is “not meant for critically ill elderly patients, children less than 10 years of age, pregnant or lactating women, and patients with co-morbidities, said the order.

The order also directed that the Covid centres follow “strict infection prevention and control practices” by keeping confirmed and suspected cases in separate partitioned areas with “no intermixing” and “separate toilets”.

The order further said that the facility will also need to be linked to the surveillance team (IDSP) and an ambulance provider, and telephone numbers of the RWAs, NGOs, doctors should be displayed prominently.

The order added that a doctor residing in the gated complex or provided by the NGO “facilitate daily medical examination” of the patients, and a caregiver also be identified to look after patients and keep records.

Both the doctor and caregiver, will undergo training organised by the Chief Medical Officer on Covid management and infection, prevention and control practices.