Poor food, lack of medical care in quarantine centre: NDMA

A survey by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recorded the lack of medical care, poor food quality at quarantine centres and high treatment expenses as some of the challenges to healthcare in India and suggested incorporating psychosocial support for national and local Covid-19 cases.“Mental healthcare is a critical long-term response to disasters and could be integrated at all levels of disaster response while addressing medical, financial, logistical and other needs of people,” it noted. The year-long study was done in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Studies (TISS) and recorded the psychosocial concerns of 657 clients, majority of them located in Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

“Women were found to share more relational concerns as compared to men. Individuals in the age group of 21 to 40 reported a higher susceptibility than others to be impacted emotionally by the stressors posed...” the report added.The respondents complained that Covid-19 testing was a source of distress. In one of the cases, it was recorded that the family members received the Covid-19 test report 45 days after the patient had passed away. “Healthcare inequalities and widening economic and social disparities harshly affected the poorest sections,” the survey stated. “About 40% of individuals mentioned that they were unsatisfied with the food provided in hospitals and quarantine centres where they were admitted for treatment. Similarly, 40.12% individuals had concerns regarding the cleanliness of hospitals and quarantine centres. They mentioned that washrooms and bathing areas were in unhygienic conditions and wards were not clean...”