Coronavirus scare: Telangana team reaches to study Kerala model

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala model of tackling coronavirus is now being emulated by other states. A team comprising the health officials and doctors from the Telangana has reached the state to study the surveillance system that Kerala had adopted when the first positive case was reported.
The Union health minister has already asked all the state governments to emulate the Kerala model in tackling coronavirus.Based on this directive, the delegation from Telangana has reached the state. Panic has gripped in the IT corridor of Hyderabad following the reporting of two positive cases and major IT companies closing their offices temporarily.
The Telangana delegation visited the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and received the first-hand experience on how the health desks set up by the state health department is screening the passengers.
"The Telangana delegation has come to know on how we carried out the surveillance soon after the virus had spread in China. They had discussions with us and we shared the methods that we followed for the surveillance and isolation of the people who had symptoms," said Dr Amar Fettle, state's nodal officer for public health emergencies.
The Telangana delegation also visited the isolation ward set up at the general hospital and studied how the hospital staff have been trained in treating people who have been quarantined. The treatment protocol adopted by the state health machinery and the constant monitoring adopted by the primary health care machinery in the state was explained to the delegation during the discussion.
Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba lauded the Kerala model in tackling the virus and asked all states to follow Kerala model during a review meeting with the health secretaries of all states in his video conferencing. Principal secretary Rajan N Khobragade, while attending this video conferencing, had informed the Union health ministry that the state health machinery was ready to provide all technical help to other states to deal with the crisis.