No COVID-19 patient in Odisha should suffer due to financial problems: Patnaik

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], Aug 12 : Highlighting that the Odisha government is providing free "universal care" for coronavirus patients, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that no one should suffer without treatment due to financial problems.
Patnaik made the remarks while reviewing the COVID-19 situation and development in availing plasma therapy based treatment for the virus in the state.
"We are one of the few states in the country who is providing universal care for COVID-19 patients completely free of cost. From testing to treatment to food, transport, accommodation, everything is provided free of cost, and the objective is because of financial problem, nobody should suffer without being able to get treatment in Odisha," Patnaik said.
He lauded the "untiring efforts" of COVID-19 warriors and said that the state has been putting up a brave fight against COVID-19 in last five months and has seen good successes.
"We have been dynamically assessing the situation and preparing an advance plan for creating adequate infrastructure, procuring adequate testing kits and consumables. In the meanwhile, in a span of three weeks, we could establish five plasma therapy units from scratch," Patnaik said.
"I appreciate the efforts of the administration and doctors and all connected medical professionals of those hospitals. Ministers have been assigned responsibilities to motivate people on plasma donation. The concept of plasma donation must be popularised at all levels," he added.
Patnaik said that local government officers should play an active role in motivating people to voluntarily come forward for testing and further launch a campaign at local levels to destigmatize the COVID-19 positive persons.
"To take our fight against COVID-19 to the next level, we have decided to substantially enhance the testing during the coming weeks. Happy to note that yesterday we have done about 32,000 tests. The collectors are advised to lead the programme to conduct tests at sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres," he said.
Patnaik said that people, who have no facilities for home isolation, will be taken care of in the COVID-19 care centre and care homes.
"Considering the global experiences as well as experiences from different states that home isolation provides better and early healing for asymptomatic and persons with mild symptoms, our government has allowed home isolation as the preferred mode," he said.
"Home isolation must be promoted as a good practice. The fear for the disease and stigma around it must be removed from the minds of the people and communities so that more and more people would opt for home isolation," Patnaik said.
He said that a home isolation kit comprising the dos and don'ts, few basic medicines and a list of telephone numbers of doctors, counsellors, telemedicine professionals and government officials may be distributed among such persons.
Patnaik also said that the state has one of the highest recovery rates and that it has one of the lowest fatality rates in the country.