Health Minister Dr Kailesh Jagutpal has manifested his intention to adopt Home Isolation, as the next phase covering quarantine in centres for vaccinated suspected cases and contacts. According to Dr Vasantrao Gujadhur, this announcement of the minister Jugatpal is unreal and not transparent enough for anybody.
Real problem: Location and price
“We are fully aware that quarantine represents a pretty penny for the government. Those hotels will no longer be open for such use with the second phase of the reopening of borders and the Ministry of Tourism will not be successful in keeping this system ON, even if they try to intervene. This is what the real announcement should be. Nevertheless, if the system is reviewed, home isolation can have more positive outcomes” he confesses.
No logic in differentiation
Furthermore, he explains, “If the government has reached such a conclusion then it will be better to impose home isolation to every case, may it be a contact or a positive carrier of the virus, vaccinated or not. The procedures will remain the same. There is no logic behind a differentiation of those two, they are both equally exposed, may be one will suffer more and one less, still there is no guarantee. The individuals will be responsible for their safety and safety towards the members of their respective family,” says the former Director of Health and former head of the Communicable Disease department of the Ministry of Health.
Well thought proposition
Dr Vasantrao Gujadhur adds that it can be a bigger success in monitoring and treatment if this announcement will be a reality, the protocol should only be changed. “There are around 150 Health Surveyors, 13 sanitary bureaus and so many health officers can do a door-to-door fieldwork, rapid testing, duly PCR testing and vaccination comprised. Having this vaccination system decentralised can do only good to the government and ministry,” he proposes taking an example of the effectiveness of this system on former outbreaks of Dengue and Chikungunya.
