National comprehensive guidelines on post-Covid management launched

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya the guidelines on post-Covid management includes a module for healthcare providers to deal with mental health issues.

Union health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday released the national comprehensive guidelines on post-Covid management, which he said will help in building the capacity of doctors, nurses, paramedics and community health workers across India to deal with long-term effects of the coronavirus infection.

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the advisories were the first such series of seven modules released in India.  (File photo)

"This will help health workers prepare for post-Covid health complications in advance and give suitable treatment to patients," Mandaviya said, adding, “The perceptions related to post-Covid that are perpetuating in our society like fears, mental health issues resulting due to Covid are important to be tackled. So, it's important to understand these post-Covid issues and resolve them.”

The health minister said the advisories were the first such series of seven modules released in India, and they provide extensive guidelines for the medical fraternity.

“This includes a module for healthcare providers to deal with mental health, which is of utmost importance,” Mansukh Mandaviya said.

He said that proactive and comprehensive treatment of Covid-19 is required to ensure minimum side effects and no negative effect of the treatment.

Speaking on the occasion, Union minister of state for health Bharati Pawar stressed the need to tackle mental health issues and to reach the last mile, the statement said.

"This pandemic has put an unprecedented challenge on our health and healthcare system. Mental health care is a big challenge for a country with such a large population. We need to build our capacity to tackle this challenge of mental health," Pawar was quoted as saying in the statement.

She added that it's important to equip ourselves to fight against post-Covid consequences to the last mile.

Meanwhile, Mandaviya further informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected announce the nationwide rollout of Pradhan Mantri Digital Health Mission on September 27.

The health minister said that under this, a unique digital health identification, containing all the health records of a person, would be provided to the people across the country.