HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has come up with an initiative to encourage people with mild symptoms to undergo treatment at their homes. For this, the Medical and Health Department has now introduced a free home isolation kit for COVID-19 patients who are in home isolation.

Nearly 83 percent of COVID-19 patients in the state are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and are in home isolation. This is why the home isolation kit is necessary, officials said.

According to an estimation of the Health Department, about 12,000 COVID-19 patients are in home isolation. Of them, nearly 6,000 patients who have recovered from COVID-19 were undergoing home isolation.

“The State government has decided to supply such kits containing basic medicines and safety equipment, including masks, for all patients who are under home isolation. We are providing all these basic items free of cost. The kits will also contain vital information to guide such patients,” Health Minister Etela Rajender said.

Each kit comprises 34 Vitamin-C tablets, 17 Zinc tablets, 17 B-Complex capsules, six cloth masks, a sanitiser, a liquid hand wash, two pairs of gloves, and a bottle of sodium hypochlorite solution. It also comes with the contact details of the medical officers and ANM who make frequent visits to the patient's homes to check on them.

If the patients develop any moderate to severe symptoms who are under home isolation, they can call up the local medical or civic authorities of ANMs or even dial the toll-free number, so that they can be immediately shifted to the hospital.

The kit also has the details of the local health centre along with the contact numbers of medical officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and ASHA workers and also that of municipal officials and also there will be a booklet comprising details of what the patient should and should not do during the 17-day isolation period.