New Delhi: The ‘ruthless containment’ strategy adopted in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district a month ago, which came to be known as the Bhilwara model, has now given way to Mission LISA in the state that has seen a huge spike in the number of positive Covid-19 cases since last month.
LISA stands for life saving and the mission began in the last week of April.
The change in the strategy, senior state government officials told ThePrint, was necessitated by the realisation that since the virus has already spread and is infecting many more people, the health administration should focus on saving lives of the most vulnerable people such as those above 60 years of age.
“We are already taking measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. But it is not enough. We have to target the vulnerable group, mostly those above 60 with underlying health issues, test them for early detection and treat them timely,” said a senior health department official in the Rajasthan government.
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Taking help of Ayushman Bharat data
The state government has turned to the database of Ayushman Bharat, the Modi government’s flagship health insurance scheme for the poor, to dig out details of those aged above 60 years having some illnesses and are registered under the scheme.
To start with, the administration has identified 10,140 such senior citizens who live in and around Ramganj in Jaipur, one of the largest Covid-19 hotspots in the state.
As many as 100 containment and large outbreak zones in the state will be targeted as part of the mission as of now.
“We send our teams to check on them and, if a need is felt, test them for Covid-19. On an average 600-700 such people are being tested daily. Instead of doing random testing, we decided on targeted testing of the most vulnerable groups,” Rohit Kumar Singh, Rajasthan’s Additional Chief Secretary in charge of the medical, health and family welfare department, told ThePrint.
Singh said it’s a simple four-pronged step that the health department is following — early testing, early detection, giving good treatment and sending them home.
The strategy seems to be working as despite a spike in the cases, the state has managed to keep the fatality rates low.
According to the state government’s official data, Rajasthan has a total 3,127 positive cases as of Tuesday evening and 82 deaths. As many as 1,464 people have recovered so far.
“The objective is to quickly identify those above 60 years for respiratory and other vulnerabilities like kidney, hypertension, diabetes or such similar conditions. We are focusing on them for targeted attention and care. The primary objective is to save the lives of the vulnerable to the maximum possible extent,” Singh added.
Besides those aged above 60 years, the other vulnerable group being targeted include the fruit and vegetable sellers as they come in contact with a large section of population throughout the day.
‘Pragmatic thing to do is to test & catch them early’
Senior state health department officials admitted there is a spurt in the positive cases, but it also shows that more testing is being done.
On an average, 6,000 people are tested every day and the health department plans to increase the number to 25,000 per day by May-end.
The health department has already placed orders for more testing kits, said the senior official quoted above.
Singh said that it’s a fact that the virus has spread. “So, instead of shying away or ignoring, the pragmatic thing to do is to test and catch them early,” he added.
“How will you know if somebody is infected unless you test? Our chief minister has told us not to be afraid of the growing numbers and focus on testing,” the additional chief secretary added.
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