The office of the Health and Medicine department has issued following guidelines for attendants of COVID-19 patients - those who are accompanying the patient to hospital and staying there till treatment is over:

• Only one attendant may be allowed at any instance. The attendant must comply with all COVID safety norms and must be a family member or relative.
• Name, address, phone number of the attendant must be provided to the hospital, and an attendant pass must be issued by the hospital.
• Attendant must be provided with a medical kit immediately on registration.
• When the COVID patient is discharged a RTPCR of the attendant must also be conducted.

These guidelines, like any other from the health department, seems to have come much later than when needed.  Private Hospitals in the state, including those in Udaipur, are openly permitting attendants to accompany the COVID patient. There is no PPE kit being given to the attendant and no social distancing norms are being followed.  This high degree of carelessness has been once of the factors in the rise in number of cases in the state as well as the number of deaths.

In the initial days of the spread of the pandemic, the COVID treatment area was a highly guarded and secluded area, where limited hospital personnel were allowed to venture. No one could meet the COVID patient. This norm is still being followed in the ESIC hospital in Udaipur but not visible in the new COVID section set up at the MB General Hospital.  This kind of irresponsible approach along with the lack of beds, oxygen support and ICU support will surely cause more havoc in the coming days.