SINCE the pandemic started last year, hospital visits and appointments to the doctor are no longer the way we know it. Covid-19 has changed everything!

Extra precautions have to be taken for people with a higher risk of complications from the coronavirus, such as the elderly, those with special needs and those with co-morbidities. These things are now done so that these groups of people have less exposure to infection.

My son, Omar, is one such person. Not only is he physically and mentally challenged, he's also totally non-compliant when it comes to following standard operating procedures (SOP). He cannot and will not wear a mask; he'd touch anything and everything, and then touch his face, eyes etc. Sanitising his hands would be futile because he touches everything all the time.

Omar doesn't understand why all these things are necessary even if it's for his own good and protection. Trying to get him to wear a mask as a daily routine only irritates him. On a bad day, a major tantrum would upset everyone's routine for the entire day.

His doctors understand that. So, from day one, the doctors from various specialist clinics would call me a week or two before the appointment date to ask about his condition, and if his medication needs any adjustments.

In the first six months into the pandemic, all I needed to do was go to the hospital to see the doctor for a quick chat to report on Omar's status before collecting his medications.

If there were anything odd that the doctor needed to see for himself, I'd make a video call so that the doctor can view him and then instruct Omar's caregiver to show what he needs to see.

The subsequent second and third six-month visits went even faster as all I needed to do was to refresh the prescriptions and collect the medications from the pharmacy. The hospital's pharmacy also provided delivery services, further cutting down trips to the hospital. Just need to refresh the request, which has to be done in person.

BEING ALERT

All these were done to reduce the high-risk patients' exposure to possible infection. That said, they also frequently reminded us that we shouldn't hesitate to bring the patient to hospital should he or she require urgent medical assistance.

The doctors always advise that you shouldn't try to solve an emergency at home just because you're afraid of being exposed to the coronavirus at the hospital. If your loved one has severe chest pain, shortness of breath or display symptoms of stroke, like weakness of one side or can't speak properly, take him/her to the hospital immediately.

When this happens, it'd help if you have the list of medications of the person in your care. Know their health status and problems. Have a list of the various doctors' names that they're seeing. That way, the attending doctor can do cross references for details that would be crucial for that person's treatment.

Many hospitals now limit the number of people allowed into the doctor's consultation room. It's now usually just the patient and the caregiver. Other members of the family would be asked to wait outside. Even the number of visitors planning to visit those who are warded is now limited. Gone are the days when families can visit for hours.

At the hospital itself, you'll find that there's significantly less crowd and traffic. Many doctors who need to physically examine their patients would be clad in full personal protective equipment (PPE) like mask, gloves, face shield and clothing. Where possible, they'd minimise physical contact with the patient.

BETTER PREPARED

From the time you enter the clinic, there'd be hand sanitisers and a temperature-checking device at the door. Staff would wear masks and face shields, and would be the only ones touching the doorknobs to show the patient in and out of the doctor's room.

The waiting room has less people because of social distancing. If the waiting room is full, you'd be asked to wait outside where chairs would be provided, again according to the SOP.

All this while, those whose body temperature is registered as high would be asked to stand aside and be re-tested. If the temperature remains high, they'd be asked to enter through a different door where they'd be questioned and tested for Covid-19.

You'd also notice that clinics are sanitised quite often. That's a comforting sight because everyone is being careful and taking the necessary precautions. Now that we've entered the second year of living with this pandemic, we should be better prepared for our loved one's health needs.

One of the main things is to ensure there's enough medication on hand at all times. Next is to stay as healthy as possible so you don't need to go to the hospital. Getting a flu shot lowers your odds of getting sick.

[The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.]

Putri Juneita Johari volunteers for the Special Community Society of Ampang. She can be reached at [email protected].