In recent weeks, the number of positive COVID-19 cases have surged and reached new heights daily, putting a stress on the current health care system.
As of 18 November 2021, there has been 58,789 confirmed cases and 116 deaths reported. 11,159 cases are being hospitalized at designated health and isolation facilities.
With Vientiane Capital reporting the largest local community transmission, the Ministry of Health on 13 November announced its plan to implement home-based care for positive COVID-19 patients that met criteria like low risk factors based on their health status, able to do home care with little supervision, and are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms.
Dr Khamsay Dethleuxay, Deputy-General of Department of Healthcare and Rehabilitation at Ministry of Health held a press conference to explain about home-based care
During the press conference, Dr Khamsay Dethleuxay explained that central hospital like Mittaphab Hospital, Setthathirath Hospital and 103 Hospital is now reserved for moderate and severe cases, and those who have high risk factors that needs monitoring and support from healthcare workers.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health will mobilize more than 300 workers made up of health staff, medical students, community leaders and volunteers to work with local authorities in 7 districts in Vientiane Capital to implement the home-based care. They will be part of a response team tasked to engage with communities, aim at minimizing COVID-19 transmission in households and reduce deaths in the capital.
They also hope to encourage uptake of vaccination, establish care pathways that support early detection of patients whose health may be deteriorating and facilitate their admission to a hospital, promote the practice of preventive measures, and provide help to families facing emergency at home due to COVID-19 pandemic.
A hotline 164 is established to answer enquiries from those who are placed on home-based care, and a home-based care guideline will also be made available to the public.
The response team explains to local authorities on home-based care guideline
The response team explains the care pathways for a COVID-19 patient
The response team visits a close contact of a positive case in a high-risk zone to provide health advice
The response team will work with the local authorities to collect information of people in the community like elderly, disabled and pregnant women who are prioritized to be vaccinated but have not receive their vaccine.
Vaccination fixed sites are set up in villages and the team also uses a house-to-house approach to reach the priority groups.
A response team set up a vaccination post and register the villagers for COVID-19 vaccine
A house-to-house visit to vaccinate a mother who have recently delivered her baby
By engaging with the district authorities, the Ministry of Health hopes that home-based care can be successfully implemented in communities, and this bottom-up approach can help to reduce transmission in households, promote health seeking behaviours, and result in lowering cases numbers and deaths.