The Ministry of Health and Sports hosted a weekly virtual meeting to review prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 yesterday.

At the meeting, Union Minister for Health and Sports Dr Myint Htwe said that 90 per cent of the COVID-19 death toll in the country were elderly men and those suffered from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart and cardiovascular diseases.

Therefore, the elderly persons are necessary to stay apart from other persons at home and to eat and sleep separately. It is also important to conduct awareness programmes for that in the townships, said the Union Minister.

He continued that the ministry was making efforts to ensure patients of losing sense of smell with underlying non-communicable diseases in quarantine sites get their current-consuming medicines, saying that it is important to put them intensive care after making distinctive marks on them.

Although Non-Communicable Diseases Unit distributed medicines for the quarantine centres, it is necessary to check whether the medicines arrive at the centre or not, and whether the patients take the medicines or not, he added.

He expressed thanks to the teams that are making daily discussions for systematic accommodation of the patients, and urged them to record information and facts about the processes in simple formats.

Central Epidemiology Unit was reviewing the facts daily. Treating COVID-19 patients at private hospitals was agreed, he said, calling for discussions about the said matters.

Deputy Director-General (Medical Services) Dr Thida Hla reported on the condition of COVID-19 patients and quarantine sites, and Director (Epidemiology) Dr Toe Thiri Aung reviewed laboratory testing, quarantining and public health and epidemiology.

Deputy Director-General (Epidemiology) Dr Tun Tin gave advices on containment of the disease and public health processes.

Director (Health Awareness) Dr Than Naing Soe discussed conducting of peer education programmes at the markets, and Deputy Director-General (Disease Control) Dr Thandar Lwin reported on the cooperation with correctional department.

Deputy Minister Dr Mya Lay Sein discussed participation of municipal department while conducing health awareness programmes, and Permanent Secretary Dr Thet Khaing Win reported on testing COVID-19 at private laboratories and treatment of COVID patients at hospitals.

Director-General of Union Minister’s Office Dr Thar Tun Kyaw detailed about prevention, control and treatment on COVID-19 in Yangon Region.

The meeting was concluded after the Union Minister delivered a speech saying that it is important to make preparation in cooperation with State/Region governments, relevant departments and social organizations and volunteers, and the ministry will provide necessary assistance.

MNA

(Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)

Photo: MNA

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