State Health minister S Pangnyu Phom Wednesday launched home-based Nishtha Teletrack- to manage mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients undergoing home isolation.
Speaking on the occasion, Pangnyu observed that with the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic that had hit the country, including Nagaland, the need for decentralising care and make it home-based arose. He claimed that the new arrangement would help in better management of mild Covid-19 patients as well as reduce the burden in the hospitals.
He pointed out that the new initiative was in addition to Government of India’s (GoI) guidelines, which stated that very mild/pre-symptomatic patients with requisite facility at residence for self-isolation could be given the option for home isolation.
Expressing joy at having launched NISHTHA, which has been developed by the State with support from USAID’s flagship health system strengthening project and implemented by Jhpiego, Phom said Covid-19 patients would be closely monitored through this platform. He added that the patients too would be able to report their symptoms and record vitals at their homes.
He asserted that this was an innovative and end-to-end integrated tech-enabled home-based care model for monitoring, care and management of asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases in home isolation.
The minister announced that home isolation kits containing basic equipment and medicines too would be distributed to such patients, who would be able to consult doctors and specialists right from the comfort o their homes through tele-consultation.
Observing that the pandemic had severely impacted mental health of many affected by the virus, he said patients would have access to dieticians and mental health counsellors to take care of not only their physical but also their mental wellbeing through the app.
He exuded confidence that the initiative would benefit the people, mentioning that it would be rolled out in the two highly-affected districts of Kohima and Dimapur on a pilot basis.
In his keynote address, H&FW principal director Dr Neikhrielie Khimiao said the platform would act as an enabler for effective monitoring and tracking of Covid-19 patients and record vitals from home isolation cases on a daily basis. It also has the provision of regular and need-based SOS telemedicine consultations with a pool of physicians, dieticians and mental health counsellors.
With this extended support from USAID NISHTHA Jhpiego, he remarked that the State would be able to effectively track and monitor mild Covid cases under home isolation and create linkages for need-based referrals to nearest public health facilities for appropriate care and management.
USAID India acting director (health) Dr Amit Shah also spoke on the occasion, while NISHTHA/Jhpiego representative presented a live demo of the model.