Patient care to dignified handling of bodies: Heightened CCTV surveillance in Kashmir COVID hospitals

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government is mulling to increase the CCTV surveillance of COVID hospitals for proper management and transparency in patient care.

The decision follows the Supreme Court’s directions to all the states to install CCTV cameras in hospitals where COVID patients are being treated.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, PK Pole has issued formal orders for the installation of CCTVs to facilitate the management of patients and dignified handling of bodies.

“The footages from these cameras will be accessed by the inspecting/supervising expert team so that remedial actions may be taken,” he said in the order.

Divisional Commissioner has also called for constituting an expert committee for inspection, supervision, and guidance of COVID hospitals.

“The committee will issue the necessary directions for the improvement in the services and infrastructure,” he said.
Divisional administration has also directed hospitals to create a helpdesk that should be “accessible physically and over the phone”. Attendants can call on the desk to enquire about the well-being of the patients admitted in the hospitals.

“Permission should be granted to one willing attendant of each patient. There should be an earmarked area for the attendants where they can stay,” he said.

Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most affected places in the country. The total number of COVID patients has jumped to 9,888, even as the death toll has crossed 159.

With the increase in Covid-19 cases, the administration is taking various measures for increasing its testing capacity and quick contact tracing. The government has asked SKIMS, Bemina, to increase its testing capacity to 750 per day.

SKIMS Soura has been also asked to clear the pendency in testing so that the care and treatment of patients could be expedited.