Home treatment not fully operational, says Federal Government

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The Federal Government said on Monday that home treatment of COVID-19 patients is not yet fully operational and anyone carrying out treatments at home without assigned clinical supervision is wrong.

It said the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) is working on community treatment of persons, especially in hotspot areas with clinicians assigned to monitor improvement or otherwise of patients.

Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire stated these in Abuja during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

He said: “Home treatment of COVID-19 patients is not yet really and fully a strategy. Some states are weighing it and we are looking at community management and the support care, which the NPHCDA of the Ministry of Health is working upon now that we are in the phase of community transmission.

“To make the treatment as affordable as possible and that the use of dormitories or health centres are able to meet that purpose, we are collaborating with state governments. The NPHCDA will not be going there on its own, but will select the places by working with the local and state government, where the cases and the hotspots are.

“Our energy is already being directed to supporting the fight against COVID-19, especially in this community transmission phase, with the Community Support Programme of NPHCDA, using the PHC network and experienced human resources for health to drive surveillance and community case management at the grassroots level.

“Those who choose to do home care by themselves or go to non-accredited private facilities are actually not doing the right thing. Anybody, who is positive, should be under some kind of guidance and treatments or observation.

“If treatment in a specific location is officially sanctioned for the case management of a person, then, guidelines must be provided with a case manager assigned to the person.

“That is why we are having the community support care that is coming out from the NPHCDA.  Each person will have a case manager assigned to them who will follow them up and be able to understand when there is any change and immediately take necessary action.”