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Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 30 (EMN): Nagaland health minister, S Pangnyu Phom, on Wednesday launched “Nishtha tele-track,” a comprehensive tech-enabled home-based isolation care model to monitor and follow-up Covid-19 patients in the state.
Delivering his speech during the virtual launching programme, the minister stated that the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect across the country, including Nagaland and the unprecedented rise in cases resulted in overburdening the secondary and tertiary facilities across the state.
He maintained that the situation has highlighted the need to decentralise care to a home-based level which will help in better management of mild Covid-19 patients as well as reduce the burden in the hospitals.
Phom expressed happiness to launch the Nishtha tele-track platform, which has been developed by the state with support from USAID’s flagship health system strengthening project Nishtha, implemented by Jhpiego.
“This is an innovative end-to-end integrated tech-enabled home-based care model for monitoring, care, and management of asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases under home isolation”, asserted the minister.
He informed that through the platform, Covid-19 patients will be closely monitored and have access to report their symptoms and record vitals right at their homes. He also stated that home isolation kits that contain basic equipment and medicines will also be distributed to those patients to enable them to consult with doctors and specialists from their homes through tele-consultation.
He exuded confidence that the initiative will benefit the people of Nagaland, and it is first being rolled out in the two highly affected districts -- Dimapur and Kohima -- on a pilot basis. He also maintained that through the app, patients will also have access to diet and mental health counsellors, to take care of not only physical but also mental wellbeing.
Phom said, “With this extended support from USAID Nishtha Jhpiego, our state will be able to effectively track and monitor the mild Covid cases which are under home isolation and create linkages for need-based referral to the nearest public health facilities for appropriate care and management”.
While acknowledging the partners for the initiative, he called upon the state and district officials to extend their support in making this initiative a success.
“Let us all work together to defeat this pandemic and build a healthy Nagaland,” he added.
Meanwhile, the principal director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr, Neikhrielie Khimiao in his keynote address, maintained that the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic had increased the caseload in the tertiary and secondary healthcare facilities and therefore there is a need to decentralise the care to home-based level, which will support in better management of mild Covid-19 patients as well as decongest the tertiary or secondary facilities.
He informed that the launching of “NIishtha tele-track” platform will act as an enabler for effective monitoring and tracking of Covid-19 patients and have functionalities for recording of vitals of home isolated cases on a daily basis.
The official stated that the platform also has a provision of regular and need based SOS telemedicine consultations with a pool of physicians, diet and mental health counsellors.
Khimiao maintained that with the extended support from USAID Nishtha Jhpiego, the state will be able to effectively track and monitor the mild Covid cases which are under home isolation and create linkages for need based referral to nearest public health facilities for appropriate care and management.
Speech was also delivered by acting director of health offices, USAID India, Dr. Amit Shah, while a live demo of the model was presented by Nishtha/ Jhpiego representatives.