“Community participation will be the way to go”: the blockade cannot be an indefinite strategy, says the Director of AIIMS

Guleria praised the infrastructure and protocols established by the Gujarat government and emphasized the interaction between all health workers, nurses, and others on the front line.

AIIMS director and renowned pulmonologist Dr. Randeep Guleria, who came to Ahmedabad to assess the COVID-19 situation, said the closure cannot be an indefinite strategy and that community participation will be the way to go.

He noted that the high mortality rate in Gujarat could be due to problems with late notification of symptoms due to the stigma associated with the disease.

Guleria, who arrived on Friday night, along with Dr. Manish Soneja, additional professor in the Department of Medicine, AIIMS, and an infectious disease specialist, visited the 1,200-bed Covid Hospital at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Saturday followed by a meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Based on the team’s evaluation, Dr. Guleria said that community participation is very necessary and that if COVID-19 has to be defeated, “we have to do it at the community level rather than at the hospital level.”

Dr. Guleria added that after his discussion with the state machinery, some problems arose that could explain the state’s high mortality rate. One, he said, was the continuing stigma associated with the disease that makes several mildly symptomatic patients hesitate to approach health facilities or get tested. “A person may be mildly symptomatic but critically low in blood oxygen levels. As a result, the pressure on the organs increases and the possibility of death increases. If they are given oxygen, they can save their lives, “he added.

Another issue that came up in the discussion between the AIIMS team and the Gujarat team was that those who are elderly and have existing comorbidities like diabetes or heart problems or with compromised immunity, the infection may be more severe. “It is important to keep these people protected. If there is an elderly person in the home, they should be given special care and even with the slightest symptoms, one should be checked in at a health center, “added Dr. Guleria.

When asked if blocking was the solution to contain the spread of the virus, Guleria said: “We are trying to decrease the number of cases, decrease the mortality rate, and that is why containment and blocking are strategies that we are studying Currently, the blockade cannot be an indefinite strategy, other strategies must be developed later … The most important thing will be the participation of the community and the people who realize their own responsibility. If individuals realize this, in terms of handwashing, in terms of wearing masks, in terms of social distancing, then the infection will not spread and we won’t even need a closure. It has created a virtual block without a block and many countries have. The success story Sweden is basically due to citizen participation. It is a challenge, our population is much larger than other countries, but it can be done. “

Ahmedabad, Surat and Gandhinagar have decided to impose a complete closure, closing all essential services except milk and pharmacy stores.

Guleria praised the infrastructure and protocols established by the Gujarat government and emphasized the interaction between all health workers, nurses, and others on the front line.

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