COVID-19: Maharashtra to use tele-ICU facility on pilot basis

The Maharashtra government will use 'tele-ICU' facility in Mumbai and six other places on a pilot basis to treat COVID-19 patients in serious condition, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Saturday.

He said the proposal to use the technology, in which the condition of the patient is checked via a monitor attached to each bed by expert doctors who would then suggest the best line of treatment, has been given by Mediscape Foundation.

It will be used in Mumbai, Thane, Jalgaon, Solapur, Aurangabad, Akola and Jalna, the minister said, adding that its use may be extended to other parts depending on the performance and success.

Speaking about the condition of COVID-19 patients in the state, he said, "Around 75 per cent of the positive cases are asymptomatic, some 10-15 per cent have mild symptoms while three percent are serious and require ICU admission."