Bangalore, July 21, 2020: Recent statistics peg the number of COVID-19 cases in India at over 10 lakh and this is increasing by the day. While there are fear and concern for one’s family about contracting the infection, even the healthcare facilities are overburdened. Add to this is the uncertainty around the availability of hospital beds, among other things. In such times, there is a need to control the situation and ensure that we are responsible for the health of our near and dear ones.

In this backdrop, Portea Medical, India’s largest outside-of-hospital consumer healthcare brand, has launched an integrated solution called the Portea Covid Armour. The initiative that comprises of two solutions –  the Covid Personal Protection Plan for families and the Covid Community Plan for apartment complexes and RWA’s aims to help reduce the pressure on the overburdened healthcare facilities due to rising corona virus cases in the country.

Portea Covid Armour draws from the company’s key learnings handling over 40,000 Covid-positive patients across 6 states in association with state governments. In 4 months, all patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3% needing to be moved to hospitals from home isolation. The company has been experiencing a 97% recovery rate at home and the mortality rate is less than 0.1%. Portea Covid Armour will enable families, RWA’s and gated communities to be proactive and prepared instead of waiting for symptoms and resulting complications.

Speaking about this, 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,”added Meena Ganesh.

At the community level, Portea will set up isolation rooms in a common location, which could be a clubhouse or designated villa/apartment. As per Government regulations, there will be individual occupancies in a 10*10 feet room with an attached bathroom per patient.In the absence of individual rooms, 4 to 6 Covid patients shall 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, sanitizer, gloves etc 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.

Adding further, Dr Vishal Sehgal, Medical Director, Portea Medical, “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.”

Portea Medical has been undertaking various initiatives during the COVID-19 crisis. The company launched a chat bot in association with the Government of Goa to answer people’s queries around the pandemic. Under their Home Isolation Programme with state governments, over 30,000 patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3% shifted to hospitals from home isolation. The company has been experiencing a 97% recovery rate at home and the mortality rate is less than 0.1% of patients. Portea has also done over 15,000 doctor consults for patients in the last few months.

As the world struggles to fight this once-in-a-century pandemic, the onus on protecting the elderly and vulnerable is on people. Only when the community is safe can we be safe. For more information  visit http://www.portea.com

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Elders day: Portea spreads cheer among senior citizens. Bengaluru:

With a large number of people crossing over into the senior citizen category, the world’s elderly population is estimated to touch 1.4 billion by the year 2030. Although the elderly will form more than a fifth of the country’s population by 2050, there is still not much awareness on special mental, physical and nutritional requirements of senior citizens at large. This programme was thus aimed as an initiative towards enhancing the quality of life for the elderly through various activities. The one-hour sessions were conducted in Kalaivani Old Age Home and Charitable Trust, Chennai; Gandhi Old Age Home, Bengaluru; Fathima Old Age Home, Hyderabad; and Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram, New Delhi.

Exercise and other social engagement activities can have a positive effect on the mind and body of the elderly. They help in boosting serotonin, a chemical that when released by the body helps in promoting a feeling of general happiness and well-being. In this context, the We Care programme encompassed wellness for the mind, body, and soul for the senior citizens. It aimed to engage them positively through mediation and simple guided exercises.

Speaking about this, Ms Meena Ganesh, Co-Founder and CEO, Portea, said, “In the last 5 years, Portea Medical has served more than XX elderly patients, and we have always strived for a better and healthier life for them. The We Care programme was also an effort in that direction. Caring for the elderly does not only entail their health but also their holistic wellness. Through this programme, the senior citizens in the NGOs not only engaged in exercises and meditation, but also expressed themselves and shared their concerns with our volunteers. It is a part of Portea Health Prime that aims to enable growing elder communities in key cities.”

The programme began with an interesting ice breaker session followed by music and simple exercises. This was accompanied by a 10-minute meditation session. Empathy and compassion champs from Portea Medical joined in for some positive conversations with the elderly and encouraged them to talk and share their thoughts and feelings.

Apart from being a leader in the home healthcare space, Portea is currently the one-stop-shop for all clinical needs of a patient at home. The company covers everything from lab services, pharma delivery, and equipment/devices rentals and sales to medical manpower deployement at the patients’ home. Since inception, Portea has completed more than 3.5 million patient visits across 16 cities in India .

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