Demand for electromedical devices rises

Devices help monitor condition of Covid-19 patients at home, say doctors

RAWALPINDI: With several of the 3,226 novel coronavirus (Covid-19) positive patients in Rawalpindi told to isolate at home by doctors, the demand for electromedical equipment in the city to help monitor the health of these patients has increased dramatically in recent weeks.

The Rawalpindi district administration and the district health authorities have encouraged that people who are showing mild symptoms of Covid-19, isolate themselves at home and only go to hospitals when their symptoms worsen, to lower the burden on health facilities in the city.

But with a spike in cases in recent days after an ease lockdown, more and more people have been advised to stay at home while doctors monitor their condition and symptoms remotely.

To be able to monitor their condition, especially amongst senior citizens who are more susceptible to the virus and usually carry other pre-existing conditions - particularly coronary or respiratory illnesses, the demand for necessary electromedical equipment has surged.

Consequently, the rates of such equipment, such as finger-oximeter - a device that can be clipped onto a finger to let people check their pulse and the oxygen saturation levels of their blood, nebulisers - which helps people breathe particularly asthmatic patients, and oxygen cylinders, have escalated dramatically.

During a survey, The Express Tribune learnt that the small oximeter - which is the size of a finger and clips on to it, has become scarce.

At places where it is available, vendors are charging as much as Rs3,000 for one. Similarly, digital blood pressure machines are available in the market for Rs4,000 to Rs7,000 - depending on the model. The rates of nebulisers also fluctuate in the same price range.

Vendors and refillers of oxygen cylinders are charging up to Rs3,000 in deposit fee for a small cylinder. Patients requiring the cylinder then have to pay for certain accessories that go with the cylinder such as a moderator, masks, tubes, valves and other items which can all cost over Rs1,500. A small cylinder can provide oxygen for up to three hours before requiring a refill. The cost of refilling a small cylinder has also increased and the service is being provided for around Rs1,000.

Subsequently, the health experts have termed self-isolation better for the asymptomatic patients as it spurs the recovery rate in their bodies when compared with being housed in an isolation facility.

Senior medical practitioner, Dr Basheer Ahmed, said that for patients suffering from respiratory diseases, such as Covid-19, they require devices such as an oximeter to monitor their blood oxygen saturation levels and their pulse rate. If they get too low, the patient will require to be administered supplemental oxygen apart from requiring additional medical attention, while other measures may be needed to stabilise their pulse.

On the other hand, Rawalpindi District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Naveed Ahmed said that the administration is implementing a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) which have been devised by the government for Covid-19 patients who are self-isolated.

Moreover, he said that a Covid-19 patient who has been asked to self-isolate at home is provided with free medical consultation over the phone for ten days. On the eleventh day, he said, teams from the health department visit the patient’s home and collect his swab samples. If the patient tests negative, they are tested again within 48 hours. If the results of these consecutive tests come back negative, the patient is declared to be free of the virus.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2020.