Bhubaneswar, Sep 4: Looking at the increasing trend of preference to home isolation by the positive cases of COVID-19 in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP).

The SOP, issued by the civic body last evening, will further streamline and strengthen the home isolation procedures or modalities for effective and efficient management of the cases and shifting of need-based cases to the next level of patient care, i.e. dedicated COVID hospitals or COVID Care Hospitals.

“The SOP will pave the way for 24X7 surveillance of the home isolation or paid isolation cases. They would also inform about their own conditions over phone and they would be given appropriate and timely medical advices and service,’’ said BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.

For how many days the positive persons are in home/paid isolation, what are their requirements and how the government services would be extended to them, through regular monitoring and analysis, would come under the revised SOP. The first SOP on these services was issued on July 10.

People under home isolation/paid isolation can inform regarding their requirements, problems and consultations through toll-free numbers 18003450061 and 0674-2431253. Both the numbers are available 24X7 and the queries would be replied by an AYUSH doctor, assistant section officer or data entry operator at the COVID Control Room, BMC.

The SOP also informed that while three dedicated ambulances will be available 24X7, one ambulance in each zonal deputy commissioner is to be used for shifting of home isolation, paid isolation cases upon request.

Once the patient feels the need to be shifted to a higher facility, then he/she shall communicate to the above toll-free numbers of BMC.

When the communication is received by BMC, the team shall discuss with the patient/relative in details about the condition of the patient to ascertain the criticality and the requirement for shifting to the COVID health-care facility.

The concerned team then ascertains the criticality of the patient, shall coordinate with the Nodal Officer concerned of the hospital and with the ambulance of the respective administrative zone of BMC for immediate shifting of the patient.

The patients’ requests from home/paid isolation facilities will be maintained through a register and the team shall also make a shifting abstract of each patient and finally submit it to the Nodal Officer (Home Isolation) and Deputy Commissioner (COVID-Cell) BMC.

The Nodal Officer (Home Isolation) BMC shall submit the report / abstract of such shifting details of the entire day to the Nodal Officer Shifting at Capital Hospital for updating the database.