Mohalla clinic doctors trained to look out for suspect coronavirus cases

As Delhi readies itself to contain the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease in the wake of its first positive case, the mohalla clinics have been asked to start referring patients with possible exposure to designated hospitals.

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Doctors have been asked to advise patients about the disease and report to the government if they suspect people back from overseas travel or those who have been in contact with infected people have been exposure to the virus.

Forty-year-old Sonu (who goes by a single name) said his primary source of information about the coronavirus was newspapers. “We take precautions mentioned in the newspapers,” he said outside a mohalla clinic in Mandawali where he had taken his wife to consult a doctor. “We didn’t notice any awareness posters there.”

Some clinics had put up posters on precautions but these seemed too few to counter misinformation. Each clinic had doctors and assistants wearing face masks and using hand sanitisers while examining patients..

“They should spread awareness in schools too,” said Aarti, who was at a Trilokpuri mohalla clinic. “We take care of ourselves by wearing masks when we go to a crowded place, wash our hands, They should definitely have more awareness measures in place at these clinics. The one I found pasted here was something I could hardly read.”

The poster Aarti was pointing to was five black-and-white printed pages of the central government’s advisory on preventing the coronavirus disease.

Doctors at these clinics refused to speak on the matter. Despite many attempts, health department secretary Padmini Singla could not be reached for a comment.

Government health officials say the advisories they issued are general in nature, and that they had trained doctors at mohalla clinics in protocols to deal with the disease.

“In general, there are government advisories and some of them have been delivered to the mohalla clinic doctors also,” said G C Malik, chief district medical officer (CDMO), South. “Advisories have to be displayed in the clinics. It is important doctors for to tell patients that there are advisories and advise them to go through them and take photographs if need be. Now, we will have to see how much these doctors are following.”

Malik said there were adequate safety masks to be distributed as required.

South East CDMO Geeta said there were no special instructions on face masks. According to the World Health Organisation, a healthy person needs to wear a mask if they are taking care of suspected patients.

“Prevention is more important,” said Geeta. “That is what doctors have been instructed to inform the patients. In the special training session we conducted for all doctors, we told them they need to seek travel information from patients showing symptoms. If they suspect that it could be a coronavirus infection, they ought to refer the patient to the two designated hospitals and inform the government through district nodal officers.”