New Delhi (NVI): The Union Health Ministry has issued fresh guidelines on the rational use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers in non-COVID-19 areas.
According to the ministry, the guidelines are not just to ensure usage, but to also create awareness that all healthcare workers working in hospitals, which are not dealing with the COVID-19 cases, do not require the PPE kits.
The guidelines have divided health workers under various categories depending on the kind of the department they work in.
The departments which have been identified include Out Patient Department, In-patient department, emergency services etc.
According to the guidelines, the healthcare workers have been identified according to the risk factor they face, i.e., whether the kind of work they are carrying out falls under high risk, mild risk or low risk.
The ministry has divided the kind of PPE equipment needed for each worker depending on the risk.
The PPEs are to be used based on the risk profile of the health care worker.
These PPE kits are recommended to healthcare workers dealing with the management of severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) patients and those with severe illness.
Meanwhile, activities such as driving an ambulance, kitchen services and those involved in the transportation of dead bodies have been identified as low risk and only need a triple-layer medical mask, and latex examination gloves.
However, the guidelines said standard precaution has to be followed at all times.
