Ministry of Health Dealing with a large increase in Covid-19 infections
There is a widespread fear in many countries that the increase in the number of people with the covid-19 infections will overwhelm the hospitals. 

This possible outcome can be managed. This is how it can be done. 

a) We can build temporary hospitals just to deal with the infected patients. We can follow the lesson from Wuhan. They have converted sports stadiums and halls into temporary hospitals for these patients.

These temporary hospitals are to deal only with this disease. They need beds and partitions. We need ventilators only for the critical cases.. These facilities are quite modest, unlike those needed for a general hospital that has to deal with all kinds of diseases.

b) We need special attention to protect the doctors and nurses from being infected. Masks can be given to the health professionals and the patients.

c)  We can employ the former patients to be care givers. that have already been cured have immunity against the virus. They can help to reduce the work load for the trained nurses. Many of these ex-patients will be glad to serve the community in return for the care that they have received. Many health workers are overwhelmed through exhaustion. The care givers can help to spread the workload.

d) It is better to treat the patients in the temporary hospitals rather than send them home - where they might infect the family members.

We should prepare for these temporary hospitals to be set up, in case there is a need to increase the facilities for treating the patients. There is no excuse to be unprepared to handle the increase in the case loads, if it should happen

Tan Kin Lian



 

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