Shillong-based health professionals go the extra mile to bring hospital to your home 

It is during uncertain times like these that a group of medical professionals from Shillong came together to form MediAid - a Home Care Nursing Service aimed at providing hospital-quality nursing care and services at the comfort of one's home. 
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By Ibankyntiew Mawrie | SHILLONG: 

Shortage of hospital beds amid the surge in coronavirus cases in Meghalaya has raised the concerns of citizens and non-COVID patients as they observe that sooner or later, hospitals are going to run out of beds, if not already. 

It is during uncertain times like these that a group of medical professionals from Shillong came together to form MediAid - a Home Care Nursing Service aimed at providing hospital-quality nursing care and services at the comfort of one's home. 

Speaking to The Northeast Today (TNT), one of the founders, Dr Synrang Warjri, who is also a doctor at Nazareth Hospital in Shillong, explained that MediAid is a small group of medical and paramedical staffs including doctors, physiotherapists and nurses. 

"The objective of our initiative is to bring health care closer to everyone while ensuring minimum risk during the pandemic. We realised that many non-COVID patients who require medical attention during this time are reluctant to seek help at hospitals. We ensure that these patients stay safe by bringing the hospital to their home," Dr Warjri said.

Besides medical attention, MediAid also attends to patients who require blood collections and blood tests and sends the reports via whats app.

"We also do vaccinations at people's home, mostly for children who are scheduled to get their vaccines and parents who are unwilling to take them to the hospital. For patients who do not want to be admitted to the hospitals for injectable medicines, we offer to give them their injections and IV infusions at their home. We have nurses who can complete injectable medicines like antibiotics, normal salines, or chemotherapy at your home," the medical professional added. 

MediAid also provides nursing care for the elderly, cancer patients, etc, while doctor consultation is done over the done, or in some cases, doctors would visit the patients. 

MediAid co-founder Sammeki Warjri, a physiotherapist by profession and Dr Synrang Warjri's brother, informed that the initiative was started four years back but, during that time, MediAid was purely into events like arranging for a medical team during any programme. 

However, when COVID-19 struck Meghalaya last year, the team evolved and shifted its focus to providing medical care and attention to people who are treated at home. 

"It was challenging because most of our team members are working professionals. There are times when nurses and attendants attend to patients at their homes after completing their shifts in their respective hospitals," he said. 

At present, MediAid has over 25 staff -- nine to ten nurses, ten to twelve attendants and three physiotherapists. "All of the doctors, nurses and attendants are specialised in their respective fields," Warjri added. 

When asked about the working module, Warjri said they provide services for six hours, twelve hours and twenty-four hours, depending on the patient's requirement. The package ranges from Rs 700 to Rs 2000 per day. 

He further said that they do not provide treatment for critical COVID patients and, admission to a hospital is advisable. "Except for patients with mild symptoms, we provide the medical advice if they reach out to us," he said. 

Rajesh Prasad, who availed this service for his ailing mother-in-law, appreciated the effort of the health professionals to provide home-care services, despite having gone through immense work pressure at the hospital. 

"The way I see it now, home care and nursing care at the comfort of our home is the best way forward. Most people refuse to go to the hospital due to various reasons, and an initiative such as this eases the problem and fear faced by many, especially the elderly," he said. 

People can avail MediAid's services by calling the numbers - +917308540557/+918575409134. 

(The writer can be reached at iban@thenortheasttoday.com)

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