COVID TRIAGE CHALLENGE

COVID TRIAGE CHALLENGE

Subject: Science & tech

Context: The second COVID-19 wave has hit India with great ferocity. A time-tested, effective strategy could help tackle COVID-19 but poses unique challenges in India.

Concept:

• A time-tested, effective strategy to face the challenge of a sudden large load on the healthcare system is the concept of ‘triage’.
• This means that when there are a large number of people needing urgent care and there are limited resources, the victims are divided into multiple categories based on severity of disease.
• The most severe are treated first as any delay will cost lives. The rest are treated later as per their level of severity.
• This idea was first introduced by Napoleon’s military surgeons to treat battlefield injuries and showed immediate impact. It is now standard practice in many countries when treating mass casualties. It has also been used effectively during COVID-19.
• But triage is not a sterile, mechanical protocol insulated from its surroundings. Its wide acceptance and implementation are based on the powerful but complex principles of justice and solidarity.
• It is where the interests of everyone are put above the interest of an individual; where those who need care first are prioritised over those who can wait, irrespective of who they are.