While home remedies provide symptomatic relief to COVID-19, it should not stop the vulnerable and those with severe illness from seeking medical treatment.
This, according to Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong.
Responding to concerns by private medical specialists on the ministry’s alleged failed strategies to address the pandemic, Dr Fong said the crisis had made more obvious to them the need to have an accurate registry of at-risk individuals so they could build a targeted support program.
He said this was due to a lack of shared and co-ordinated strategies at medical and community level to sustain timely access for those that needed care.
“I agree that there have been some unfortunate communications relating to home remedy such as kuvui and vevedu, they have provided symptomatic relief for patients and helped them cope better with the acute phase of the illness,” Dr Fong said.
“The important message was that it should not distract sick people and their families from bringing the vulnerable and those with severe symptoms early for medical care.
“We have messaged before that we estimate that close to 70 per cent of cases admitted in a timely manner have recovered well, only patients with severe co-morbidities remain a challenge in this group.
“We had also been asked on many occasions as to what capacity we had to save severe cases and a lot of our response was made to meet any perception of inability to respond.
“But getting patients to oxygen therapy remains the key to cure in severe cases. We have mentioned the use of dexamethasone and we have also mentioned how we wanted patients and those supporting them to be aware of severe symptoms and to engage early with our 165 number.”
Dr Fong said it was unfortunate that many only contacted them after experiencing severe symptoms.
