Srinagar, Apr 28: Director of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) has cautioned respective Chief Medical Officers and Medical Superintendents to ensure that no unnecessary referrals are made from districts to SKIMS Soura or GMC Srinagar, citing that ‘the two tertiary care hospitals are already overburden with the load of COVID patients.’

“ It is also imperative that in case any referral is needed for the interest of patient care, the Chief Medical Officer of district should be informed in advance so that he/she can liaison with hospitals in Srinagar”, states the order.

It has been directed to Chief Medical Officers to ensure that no doctors and paramedics leave their respective stations and remain available for patients in this hour of crisis. “Non compliance shall be viewed seriously and action under rules initiated”, it states.

Besides Chief Medical Officers/Block Medical Officers/Medical Superintendents will ensure monitoring of health status on daily basis of all such Covid-19 positive patients, who have been put under home isolation, as per the past practice & standing SOPs/guidelines, the order says.

“The health status should be monitored by the field staff/surveillance teams through personal visit along with a dedicated Call Centre/Control Room to follow up the patients on daily basis.”

The clinical status of each case shall be recorded by the field staff/call centre viz body temperature, pulse rate and oxygen saturation, it says.

The field staff shall also guide patients on measuring these parameters and provide the instructions to the patients & their care givers in light of the guidelines laid down by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, it further states