Chandigarh, May 6 - Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that proactive strategies are being made to effectively combat the spread of novel Corona virus in the State.
In the last eight days he has himself visited 17 districts to review arrangements regarding prevention of COVID-19 and given necessary guidelines to the officers concerned. While in the coming days he would be visiting five more districts.
The Chief Minister said that as per the experts a potential rise in the COVID-19 cases is expected therefore all the Deputy Commissioners now have to play a pivotal role in the containment of this Pandemic and have to further ramp up COVID-19 management preparations coupled with aggressive surveillance, stringent containment, focused clinical management along with proactive Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities, especially in rural areas.
The Chief Minister while presiding over the review meeting of COVID-19 with Administrative Secretaries deputed as in-charges of the districts for monitoring COVID-19 preparedness and Deputy Commissioners said that concrete steps have been taken by the State Government to ensure an uninterrupted supply of oxygen, availability of both general, ICU and oxygen equipped beds in the State. Health and Home Minister, Sh. Anil Vij also attended the meeting through video conferencing.
He directed the Deputy Commissioners to work in the spirit of service to mankind and make dedicated efforts towards making the public aware of ways to protect themselves from the infection, along with ensuring timely supply of oxygen, availability of beds and ramping up the testing facilities in their respective districts.
“Regular auditing of oxygen, availability of beds and medicines in the hospitals should be done so that the future and present strategies regarding demand and supply can be made in advance. A district level monitoring team for monitoring oxygen supply and demand in every hospital across the state should be constituted at the earliest,” directed the Chief Minister.
He said that the Deputy Commissioner should themselves monitor the demand and supply of oxygen and further ensure unloading of oxygen tankers at the earliest. He said that more emphasis should be laid on conducting maximum rapid antigen test, organizing health check-up and awareness camps especially in rural areas.
Ensure unloading of oxygen tankers at the earliest
The Chief Minister said that at present the state’s oxygen quota is 257 MT and a request has been made to the Central government to further enhance this quota to 300 MT, hence uninterrupted oxygen supply across the State is being ensured. The Deputy Commissioners should ensure unloading of the tankers should be done within the shortest span of time so that the oxygen supply chain in the hospitals remains intact, he added.
Give priority to shift step down patients to COVID Care Centre
The Chief Minister said that Deputy Commissioners should focus on shifting the step down patients to COVID Care Centres along with ensuring all medical health facilities to such patients so that any critical patient who might be struggling to get admission in the hospital can get the much needed treatment at the earliest.
Emphasize more on rapid antigen tests
The Chief Minister further directed the Deputy Commissioners to increase testing capacity especially in rural areas along with aggressive efforts to reduce the positivity rate of COVID-19. Improved testing capacity together with aggressive contact tracing is the key to reduce the positivity rate. Besides this, more focus should be laid on conducting Antigen testing in every district, along with conducting RTPCR.
Real time updation of data on Hrheal and NHM portal
The Chief Minister directed the officers concerned that both the government and private hospitals should ensure daily updation of the data regarding number of patients admitted, patients on oxygen support, number of patients discharged so that as per the requirement the oxygen quota and other facilities can be given on Hrheal and NHM portal.
Special screening camps to be set up in rural areas
The Chief Minister directed that since in rural areas the virus is spreading its wings, therefore special screening camps in each village should be set up so that anyone having COVID-19 symptoms can be caught early and further, the possibility of infection spread can be prevented. Besides this, the Health Department has also been directed to impart necessary training to people in these villages so that they can spread the required awareness for the disease, he added. The work of imparting the training would start soon and through these camps the Deputy Commissioners should ensure that every member of 60 lakh families residing in Haryana is tracked. He said that an awareness campaign should be launched in the villages so that the people can be made aware about the disease. Participation of Public representatives in organizing these screening camps should be ensured, said Sh. Manohar Lal.
Constitute teams to curb Black Marketing
The Chief Minister directed that every Deputy Commissioner should constitute a team to curb black marketing of medicines, essential commodities. Per kilometer rates for the ambulances should be capped along with capping the rate of beds and medicines in the hospitals. He said that the capped rate list of essential commodities should be displayed outside the shops to make the people aware and to ensure that the consumer is not exploited. Besides this, a round the clock helpline facility has been started to address the grievances. A state-level control room has been set up. Public representatives have been asked to address all such issues.
Home Isolated Patients to get individual oxygen supply
The Chief Minister was apprised that a system has been chalked out for providing oxygen supply to the COVID 19 patients and those suffering from co-morbidities who need oxygen at home. As per the system a portal has been developed for the registration of these patients and after the registration various social organizations would also be registered for the distribution of this oxygen at the door steps of such patients.
Vaccination to be done in open or big halls
The Chief Minister directed that the vaccination sites should be set up either in big halls or in open so that it should be ensured that the risk of infection spread is lessened and also that the COVID-19 protocol and norms are religiously followed at the sites. The Chief Minister was apprised that soon Haryana would be getting another lot of 3.5 lakh vaccination doses.
Chief Secretary, Sh. Vijai Vardhan, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. D. S. Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management and Consolidation Department, Sh. Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, Sh. P. K. Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Education and Research Department, Sh. Alok Nigam, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Sh. Devender Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Mines and Geology Department, Sh. T. C. Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Sh. Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Sh. T.V. S.N. Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, School Education Department, Sh. Mahavir Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh. V. Umashankar, Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, Sh. Vijayendra Kumar, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Director, General, Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Dr. Amit Agrawal, Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, Haryana, Mohammed Shayin, Deputy Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Smt. Ashima Brar, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Haryana, Sh. Prabhjot Singh, Director General of Police, Sh. Manoj Yadava, Principal Media Advisor to Chief Minister, Sh. Vinod Mehta were present in the meeting.