The Cambodian Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Health to prepare guidelines for the home treatment of people with mild symptoms of COVID, as the recent increase in the number of cases puts enormous pressure on the country’s health system .
In an audio message released Tuesday, Hun Sen said the ministry should create a “code of conduct” to treat patients at home safely, without endangering the health of other family members.
We can’t treat everyone [dans un hôpital] if the cases are increasing more and more.
did he declare.
“Even if we add more health facilities, they are still insufficient. The only solution is to keep patients with mild symptoms at home for treatment.“, he added.
The prime minister said at least 50% of patients were ready to be treated at home.
“I think we are coming to a point where the event of February 20 has not improved, especially in Phnom Penh and Kandal province”, did he declare.
Government efforts
Cambodia has recorded 2,293 cases of COVID-19 since February 20, the most recent community transmission incident, and has reported 22 deaths attributed to the disease. The health ministry said on Tuesday that 1,003 patients are currently being treated in health facilities across the country.
The explosion of cases led the government to transform The Great Duke hotel in Phnom Penh into a makeshift hospital and nationalize the Nokor Tep Women’s Hospital with private donations from tycoons and influential companies as well as family royal.
Hun Sen added that each patient would receive 20,000 riel, or $ 5, per day for their home treatment. He also hoped that more mobile medical teams would participate in this new effort.
Home treatment has been commonly used in different countries to relieve pressure on hospitals and limited resources, such as intensive care beds and ventilators.
The recommendations
Already in the United States, control centers recommend that anyone with mild symptoms or an asymptomatic case can isolate themselves at home and should not be hospitalized.
They recommend isolating the sick person in a “sick room” and ideally using a separate bathroom, regularly monitoring symptoms, not sharing anything with the sick and encouraging the wearing of masks.
The World Health Organization says people with high risk factors, such as the elderly, smokers, the obese, people with non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, may need to further evaluation before being recommended for home treatment.
In addition, WHO guidelines recommend adequate hand washing, no visitors, safe disinfection of the sick person’s room, and safe cleaning or disposal of materials used by the patient.
Yesterday the Ministry of Health deplored 72 new cases all except one, linked to the incident of February 20.
32 new cases were discovered in Phnom Penh, 22 in Preah Sihanouk province, 9 in Kandal province; 3 in the provinces of Siem Reap and Pursat; and 1 in the provinces of Prey Vèng and Kampot.
–
