COVID-19: Union Health Ministry issues guidelines for safe ENT practice

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued guidelines for safe ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) medical practice to minimise the spread of COVID-19 infection among ENT doctors, nursing staff, support staff, patients and their attendants.

In the guidelines, the Union Health Ministry stated that COVID-19 suspect patients should be treated in a separate ward for coronavirus patients, and should be shifted to ENT ward only after confirmation of COVID negative status.

Ensure that suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 before admission. Only one patient's care-taker should be allowed at a time who is also screened like above. They should comply to strict precaution for COVID-19 like wearing of mask, frequent hand washing and social distancing, the guidelines added.

Keep the patient's personal belongings to a minimum. Examination instruments should be properly sterilised as per standard sterilisation protocol after every use, it said.

Ward should be with minimum furniture for proper cleng and disinfection, visitors should not be allowed and corridors and rooms should be well-ventilated.

Scheme for the ENT and Head and Neck Surgery ward: Distancing of at least two meters in between patient beds is mandatory. Additional distance, if feasible, is desirable as caretaker may also be accompanying patients.

If possible, patients in the ward can be segregated depending on the time for admission.

( With inputs from ANI )