The Ministry of Health is working to identify institutions within communities in informal settlements that will act as areas where Covid-19 patients from the slums will be isolated.
Speaking from Afya House on Wednesday, Health CAS Dr Rashid Aman said the institutions will have to meet the set recommendations to qualify as a place where a Covid-19 patient can get care.
“Home-based care in informal settlements where households share small spaces will require identification of institutions within the communities institutions that meet the recommendations for providing such care,” Dr Aman said.
He added: “And we are working on identifying such institutions within the communities where such home base care can be provided.”
The Ministry of Health also officially launched the home-based care guidelines that are now available on their website.
Embrace home-based care
Dr Aman says that the decision to embrace home-based care was necessitated by the rising number of Covid-19 cases that are making it impossible to handle them in the already flooded health facilities.
“As you are aware due to our rising numbers of Covid-19 cases it is increasingly becoming unattainable to isolate the patients in our health facilities for management and care,” Dr Aman stated.
“We are glad to inform you that today we are launching our home-based isolation and care guidelines for patients with Covid-19. This protocol has been developed to provide a solution in the management of the increasing numbers andx the anticipated surge of Covid-19 infections.”
He says, currently, according to the available data, 78 percent of positive cases admitted in hospitals are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.
They can, therefore, be managed at home provided proper laydown procedures are followed.
The home-base guidelines touch on key areas including eligibility, care procedures, medical monitoring, referral systems when the need arises and community participation among others.
All this shall be done under the supervision of a medical officer.
“Community health officials will also be involved in the daily assessment of the patients. And will act as key links to the patients and healthcare workers in the household,” Dr Aman explained.
The Health CAS says that the Nyumba Kumi initiative has a big role to play in ensuring the success of the home base care programme.
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