To limit the risk of Covid-19 infection, the State Workers Social Security Institute (ISSSTE) has adopted a new system to communicate with the family members of coronavirus patients receiving treatment at 112 of its hospitals and clinics.

ISSSTE general director Luis Antonio Ramírez Pineda said that due to the coronavirus crisis, family members will be provided updates about the condition of their hospitalized loved ones exclusively by telephone in order to avoid crowds at healthcare facilities.

As soon as a person is admitted to hospital, family members will be asked to provide a mobile telephone number at which they will receive calls and messages from medical staff at agreed times, he said.

If a patient lapses into a serious condition or dies, family members will be notified immediately, Ramírez added.

While family members are currently not permitted to visit their loved ones in all but exceptional circumstances, Covid-19 patients, if well enough, will be permitted to use cell phones, laptops and tablet computers to communicate with them, the ISSSTE chief said.

The announcement comes three weeks after the México state government distributed tablet computers to family members of coronavirus patients receiving treatment at a hospital in the municipality of Ecatepec. The government took the decision to allow video calls between patients and family members after an angry mob stormed the hospital seeking information about their sick loved ones.

Source: El Financiero (sp)