Chongqing - The city of Chongqing continues to improve its medical services by updating fever clinics, online hospitals, and community health centers as COVID-19 cases increase.
All medical institutions will not check the negative results of the nucleic acid tests except for newly admitted patients and caregivers, according to Chongqing’s latest notice of Further Optimizing COVID-19 Response released on December 18. As a result, medical institutions can treat fever patients as they did before the pandemic.
Infectious Diseases Building of the Chongqing Children’s Hospital.
Pre-examination triage to split fever patients
Currently, the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University receives about 1,800 visits per day to its fever clinic.
As a result of the recent spike in children’s visits, the hospital transfers personnel to support fever clinics. There are now 30 consultation rooms operating 24 hours a day at the fever clinics. At the same time, online and offline pre-examination triage is implemented to split fever patients and shorten clinic visits quickly.
Chongqing Sixth People’s Hospital has implemented three shunting measures to handle the reception peak. Following rounds of checking, patients will be guided to different clinics.
Presently, the hospital sees an average of 200 fever patients daily, with a trend of continuous growth.
59 Internet hospitals are offering online prescriptions
According to the National Health Commission (NHC), medical institutions must provide patients with 24-hour online consultation, medical guidance, and appointment services.
Prescriptions can also be issued online, and third-party medicine distributors can provide treatment. China recently approved online sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 medication Paxlovid, and a healthcare platform has reportedly begun selling the drug to people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, 59 Internet hospitals are offering online prescriptions and offline medication delivery services in Chongqing.
“Online consultation is very convenient, and you don’t need to go to the hospital,” said Ms. Li, a local citizen, who initiated a consultation with doctors at the internet hospital of the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.
Before issuing the prescription, the doctor asked about the child’s condition in detail, according to Ms. Li. The medicine was then delivered to Ms. Li through the hospital’s patient service center.
The reporter noticed that two chief physicians “sit in” to receive patients with fever, fatigue, dry cough, gradual breathing difficulties, and other suspected symptoms of COVID-19 in the Internet hospital.
Community health service centers upgraded to “fever clinics.”
“Fever patients are increasing these two days, which keeps us very busy. Roughly about 60 people will be treated daily, mainly the elderly and children,” said Ye Chunmei, secretary of the Xiantao Community Health Service Center in Yubei District.
Recent upgrades have been made to the fever clinic to ensure that patients can receive medical treatment. “We have equipped the consulting room with first-aid supplies and added six observation rooms,” said Ye.
The fever clinic is in a well-ventilated courtyard built from movable plank houses. The passage for fever patients is separated from the normal reception passage.
Upon entering the clinic, patients can complete a one-stop diagnosis and treatment that includes payment, consultation, and medicine collection.
Health service centers are primary medical institutions that provide health care to residents at home. Aside from upgrading the fever clinic, they enhanced the vaccination program and classified and filed the elderly and people with basic diseases within the community.