Hello and welcome to The Moving Curve. I’m Rukmini, a data journalist based in Chennai. Every night on this mini-cast, I consider one question around the novel coronavirus epidemic in India. Tonight I’m considering this one: is India’s relaxation of the rules around discharging patients a good idea?
India’s latest discharge policy: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/ReviseddischargePolicyforCOVID19.pdf
Yesterday, Lav Agarwal, the joint secretary for health, addressed a press briefing , and here’s what he said about the new discharge policy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9lBgSAh8HA
The health ministry’s FAQs https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/FAQsonRevisedDischargePolicy.pdf
The US CDCs discharge guidelines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/faq.html#Treatment-and-Management
The IndiaSpend article from where the Pathanamthitta example came: https://scroll.in/article/961831/indias-revised-covid-19-discharge-policy-may-save-resources-but-it-will-lead-to-new-infections
None of this means that the government needn’t or shouldn’t lay out its evidence clearly — it most certainly should. It also doesn’t address the difficulty for those living in cramped settings to home isolate and the burden on a caregiver. Once again it’s a case of the government probably taking a good decision, but losing its credibility by being opaque.
Thank you etc.
