Healthcare

Amid surging COVID-19 cases, Portea Medical launches COVID Armour

Updated : July 21, 2020 07:13 PM IST

Amid overburdened healthcare facilities, uncertainty around the availability of hospital beds and concern over one’s family about contracting the infection, Portea Medical, an outside-of-hospital consumer healthcare brand, has launched an integrated solution called Portea Covid Armour that promises to help people protect their loved ones.

Portea Covid Armour comprises of two solutions - the Covid Personal Protection Plan for families and the Covid Community Plan for apartment complexes and RWA's to help reduce the pressure on the overburdened healthcare facilities due to rising coronavirus cases in the country.

The company says it launched Portea Covid Armour as it gained experience from handling over 40,000 COVID-positive patients across 6 states in association with state governments.

The venture claims, in 4 months, all patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3 percent needing to be moved to hospitals from home isolation. The company has been witnessing a 97 percent recovery rate at home and the mortality rate is less than 0.1 percent.

Portea Covid Armour says it makes endeavour to enable families, RWA’s and gated communities to be proactive and prepared instead of waiting for symptoms and resulting complications.

The venture’s personalised and community COVID-protection solutions also claim to help in the isolation and management of presymptomatic and asymptomatic COVID patients with 24x7 support.

Meena Ganesh, MD and CEO, Portea Medical, said, “There is a community spread and the safer the environment around us, the better we will get through. Apartment complexes, resident welfare associations, and neighbourhood communities can take steps to protect themselves.”

“With the cases increasing, the need of the hour is to better arm and equip ourselves. This is where the community can help and play a role in easing the pressure on the healthcare system. Not only will they help themselves but also contribute towards fighting the pandemic rather than depending on already stressed healthcare infrastructure.”

“There is a global call for help and we must all pitch in to do our bit. Portea Covid Armour is a step in this direction. Public health officials including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have already been urging the public to practice home isolation in case of symptoms to limit the spread,” she added.

In the wake of the Health Ministry’s recent guidelines for gated residential complexes to set up COVID facilities at the community level, Portea says it will set up isolation rooms in a common location, which could be a clubhouse or designated villa or apartment.

In accordance with the government regulations, there will be individual occupancies in a 10X10 feet room with an attached bathroom per patient, the startup explains. In the absence of individual rooms, 4 to 6 Covid patients will be accommodated in a hall having an attached bathroom with side screen partitions, and 6 feet distance between the two beds.

At the individual level, people can subscribe to a monthly package that consists of an essential supplies kit comprising a pulse-oximeter, sanitiser, gloves and round-the-clock monitoring and qualified medical support to ensure that people are not confused or helpless if they develop symptoms and get the necessary support in terms of treatment and COVID-19 testing.

Portea also provides home isolation for individual families as needed; oxygen therapy and advanced solution to support patients, and emergency response assistance.

Dr Vishal Sehgal, Medical Director, Portea Medical, said,

“Healthcare facilities are running amok with COVID patients and the elderly and those with other conditions are having to bear the consequences.”

“It is important to understand that most Covid-positive people recover, without hospitalisation, and can do with home isolation and care. Portea Covid Armour is insurance in such times and underlines the adage that prevention is better than cure. By providing a comprehensive set of solutions as per individual and community needs, we want to ensure that we give Covid-19 patients and others the requisite support, in line with the health ministry’s recent guidelines.”

The company says it has also launched a chatbot in association with the Government of Goa to answer people’s queries around the pandemic.

Portea claims it has done over 15,000 doctor consultations for patients in the last few months.

Amid surging COVID-19 cases, Portea Medical launches COVID Armour

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