Bangalore | 23rd July 2020: Recent statistics peg the number of COVID-19 cases in India at over 10 lakh and this is increasing by the day. While there are fear and concern for one’s family about contracting the infection, even the healthcare facilities are overburdened. Add to this is the uncertainty around the availability of hospital beds, among other things. In such times, there is a need to control the situation and ensure that we are responsible for the health of our near and dear ones.
In this backdrop, Portea Medical, India’s largest outside-of-hospital consumer healthcare brand, has launched an integrated solution called the Portea Covid Armour. The initiative that comprises of two solutions – the Covid Personal Protection Plan for families and the Covid Community Plan for apartment complexes and RWA’s aims to help reduce the pressure on the overburdened healthcare facilities due to rising coronavirus cases in the country.
Portea Covid Armour draws from the company’s key learnings handling over 40,000 Covid-positive patients across 6 states in association with state governments. In 4 months, all patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3% needing to be moved to hospitals from home isolation. The company has been experiencing a 97% recovery rate at home and the mortality rate is less than 0.1%.
Portea Covid Armour will enable families, RWA’s and gated communities to be proactive and prepared instead of waiting for symptoms and resulting complications.
Speaking about this, Meena Ganesh, MD and CEO, Portea Medical, said, “There is a community spread and the safer the environment around us, the better we will get through. Apartment complexes, resident welfare associations, and neighbourhood communities can take steps to protect themselves. With the cases increasing, the need of the hour is to better arm and equip ourselves. This is where the community can help and play a role in easing the pressure on the healthcare system. Not only will they help themselves but also contribute towards fighting the pandemic rather than depending on already stressed healthcare infrastructure.”
“There is a global call for help and we must all pitch in to do our bit. Portea Covid Armour is a step in this direction. Public health officials including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have already been urging the public to practice home isolation in case of symptoms to limit the spread,” added Meena Ganesh.
At the community level, Portea will set up isolation rooms in a common location, which could be a clubhouse or designated villa/apartment. As per Government regulations, there will be individual occupancies in a 10*10 feet room with an attached bathroom per patient. In the absence of individual rooms, 4 to 6 Covid patients shall be accommodated in a hall having an attached bathroom with side screen partitions, and 6 feet distance between the two Beds.
At the individual level, people can subscribe to a monthly package that consists of an essential supplies kit comprising a pulse-oximeter, sanitizer, gloves etc and round-the-clock monitoring and qualified medical support to ensure that people are not confused or helpless if they develop symptoms and get the necessary support in terms of treatment and COVID-19 testing. Portea also provides home isolation for individual families as needed; oxygen therapy and advanced solution to support patients, and emergency response assistance.
Adding further, Dr Vishal Sehgal, Medical Director, Portea Medical, “Healthcare facilities are running amok with Covid patients and the elderly and those with other conditions are having to bear the consequences. It is important to understand that most Covid-positive people recover, without hospitalisation, and can do with home isolation and care. Portea Covid Armour is insurance in such times and underlines the adage that prevention is better than cure. By providing a comprehensive set of solutions as per individual and community needs, we want to ensure that we give Covid-19 patients and others the requisite support, in line with the health ministry’s recent guidelines.”
Portea Medical has been undertaking various initiatives during the COVID-19 crisis. The company launched a chatbot in association with the Government of Goa to answer people’s queries around the pandemic. Under their Home Isolation Programme with state governments, over 30,000 patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3% shifted to hospitals from home isolation. The company has been experiencing a 97% recovery rate at home and the mortality rate is less than 0.1% of patients. Portea has also done over 15,000 doctor consults for patients in the last few months.
As the world struggles to fight this once-in-a-century pandemic, the onus on protecting the elderly and vulnerable is on people. Only when the community is safe can we be safe. For more information please visit http://www.portea.com
