Odisha govt issues Coronavirus advisory

Bhubaneswar: In view of the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak in China and a few parts of the country, the Odisha government on Saturday issued an advisory with precautionary measures and asked the concerned authorities to closely monitor the situation.

The Health Department asked the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Veer Surendra Sai Airport, East Coast and South Eastern Railways, and SCB Medical College and Hospital, VSS Medical College, Capital Hospital and Paradip Port hospital to closely monitor the situation and create the facilities for the management of patients.

Coronavirus Advisory

• Any travel-related cases reported to the community would be picked up and contact shall be followed up by the integrated disease surveillance program as per the interim guideline – V1(WHO) January 2020 (WHO/2019- nCoV/Surveillance/v2020.1)(enclosed.)

• The Airports Authority of India based at Bhubaneswar & Jharsuguda will be requested to facilitate entry of screening & issue instruction for Airlines to follow the international Civil Aviation guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China & disembarking India directly or indirectly.

• Airport authority in those locations in Odisha will establish a screening centre and report the identification of such cases to the CDM & PHO of the districts. The Director of Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar will follow the same guidelines in case of Biju Pattnaik International Airport.

• SCB Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack, VSS Medical College, Burla & Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar will function as Nodal centres for isolation & treatment of such cases.

• The Superintendent of concerned MCH & the Director, Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar / The District Headquarters Hospital, Jharsuguda will also function as the Nodal centres for isolation & management of cases reported to them.

• The Director, Capital hospital, Bhubaneswar/ The CDM & PHO, Jharsuguda will take urgent steps for preparedness by creating facility for special wards for isolation, treatment including ICU care. All the centres are advised to have 24 x 7 control room for monitoring of such cases.

• The treatment facilities in the hospitals will function preferably under the Pulmonary Medicine department/ Medicine when the Pulmonary Medicine is not available & the hospital will designate one faculty as Nodal officer for management of SARI. The services of the departments like Anaesthesia, ENT, Microbiology, Pathology or any other departments can be availed as & when required. The superintendent/ The Director, Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar may form a treatment committee for this purpose.

• The National Institute of Virology, Pune has been fully geared up the samples of the nCoV.

• Drugs & consumables etc. may be indented to the OSMCL and during non-availability of hospital stocks they may be locally purchased to ensure free treatment under UHC.

• The DPH, Odisha will take steps for provision of extra Group D staffs required through the CDM & PHO/ Director, Capital, Hospital, Bhubaneswar.

• The Paradeep Port Trust Hospital, Paradeep & the Railway authorities will be requested to create their own facilities for isolation & management of such cases as this condition is travel related.

• All concerned are advised for sending the daily health status of passengers under observation to the Director of Public Health, Odisha, Bhubaneswar in prescribed proforma issued on 24.01.2020.