Amid shortage, one ‘Fateh kit’ per family

Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 11

Facing an acute shortage of ‘Fateh kits’, the health department has now decided to give just one kit per family, but extra medicines will be given as per need and the patients’ medical condition.

The kit consists of 18 items, including pulse oximeter, digital thermometer, steamer, face masks, sanitiser, gargle solution and essential medicines such as cough syrup, multi-vitamin, vitamin-C tablets, Vit-D pouches, etc.

Amid shortage, the department was already collecting oximeters back from the recovered patients to distribute among the new ones.

A patient in Ludhiana said he got the ‘Fateh’ kit but it did not have an oximeter and thermometer. “It contained medicines and a manual. I bought oximeter for Rs 1,500 from the market,” he said.

Dr Manoj Sobti, member, Punjab Medical Council, said giving one kit to the entire family was of no use. “All positive members in the family will be sharing the same equipment. The viral load on the equipment will increase if it is shared by so many people. Taking back oximeters from the recovered patients is also not a wise decision,” he said.

“If possible, fresh equipment and kits should be provided to the patients as Covid is a communicable disease,” he said.

Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, Covid nodal officer, said: “We asked the recovered patients to return the oximeters but we hardly got any and now we have placed a fresh order for the oximeters.”

Despite repeated attempts, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu could not be contacted for comment.