Sajidah Yousuf
Srinagar, May 17: The government has directed the department of health to constitute a committee to tackle the possible third wave of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The directions to the Health Department to constitute a Committee to suggest measures to tackle possible third COVID wave was issued by State Executive Committee (SEC) Chairperson and Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam.
Subrahmanyam also in an order also had directed all Deputy Commissioners of the UT to activate all 20,000 COVID Care Centre (CCC) beds in their respective districts for admitting COVID-19 positive patients with no or mild symptoms and cannot do home isolation.
He said that the 20,000 beds in CCC’s will be opened closer to the rural areas where the virus is spreading faster.
“The Health Department will work out the feasibility of providing some of these CCC beds with oxygen support,” it reads.
Meanwhile, the government has asked the Deputy Commissioners to utilize all available staff for COVID related work such as mobilization for vaccination, testing, surveillance and information, education and communication activities including government staff whose institutions are otherwise closed.
“All COVID positive patients will be provided Corona kits and COVID testing should become more targeted and focus on areas with high positivity and on unvaccinated population,” the SEC order reads.
Subrahmanyam in the order has said that the ASHA and Anganwadi workers will be trained and empowered to assist in COVID mitigation efforts and has directed the Health Department to ensure establishment of Telemedicine arrangements in all districts to enable patients to call and consult doctors.
He added that the districts will set up local district level triage centres to ensure proper examination of patients and correct referral, reducing unnecessary load of tertiary and referral hospitals.
“Payments under MGNREGA, pension and other schemes will be expedited to provide relief to the people,” SEC order reads.
It also states that no patient shall be denied admission to a hospital or treatment facility just because they do not have a COVID-19 positive test result.
