Home isolation: Pvt hospitals introduce homecare packages

New Delhi: With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the state government taking measures to increase bed capacity in the Capital, more and more people are being told to quarantine at home by the Delhi government.

And with this, a number of private hospitals in the city have started Covid care packages for patients who are in home isolation.

The packages include monitoring by nurses and doctors and medical care kits that will help detect if their condition deteriorates. Most COVID-19 patients who have mild

or are pre-symptomatic are being told to quarantine at home for the needed 14 days instead of getting admitted in a hospital.

Health experts believe that COVID-19 patients require a pulse oximeter (oxygen saturation metre) and a chest X-ray to see if there is pneumonia hence should be included in all packages. None of the packages offer X-ray even though in most cases it is required if the patient develops a cough.

HDU Healthcare offers an ICU doctor consultation for 14 days and a "complete training programme for family for home isolation and quarantine with hand hygiene protocols." The package also includes oxygen concentrator, cardiac monitor, PPE kit, N95 mask, sanitiser, Nurse 24x7, online Doctor consultation and other medical essentials. The entire package comes up to Rs 15,000 per day with a minimum period of seven days service, the total cost of which can go over a lakh within a week.

Max Healthcare, Medanta, and Fortis are also offering specially designed packages for COVID-19 patients who are under home quarantine. Max's services include a medical kit — thermometer and an oxygen saturation metre, daily monitoring by a nurse, a tele-review with a doctor every

third day — while Medanta's home care services are split into packages for monitoring or more thorough 'complete covid care'. Max has at least 100 patients while Medanta has around 90 patients using their home care services, according to a report.