Ensure availability of all necessary medicare facilities to people: Lt Governor to officers

Jammu, May 25: In order to get on the spot appraisal of medical facilities being extended to the people of Samba and Kathua Districts, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Tuesday visited GMC Kathua, District Hospital & Covid Care Centre at Samba.
During his visits, the Lt Governor took a comprehensive review of the Covid containment measures in the respective districts.
The Lt Governor asked the health officials to ensure best healthcare facilities for the patients and directed the senior doctors to increase rounds in Covid-19 wards.
Ensure effective Covid Clinical Management and strict compliance of referral policy for hospitals, he added.
The Lt Governor, while interacting with doctors and other medical staff, reviewed ongoing steps taken by hospitals and directed them to prepare for future challenges. He emphasized on continuous training of nursing and paramedical staff working in the rural areas.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure the availability of necessary medicare facilities, besides putting in best efforts to contain the spread of Corona virus and save precious lives through prompt response”, the Lt Governor told the officers.
While enquiring about the availability of ventilators, oxygen supported beds, human resources, functionality of oxygen generation plants, besides testing and vaccination drives in the respective districts, the Lt Governor directed the hospital authorities to increase the existing covid dedicated beds, besides augmenting oxygen availability in the hospitals within fixed timelines.
Scale up testing & vaccination with dedicated focus on vulnerable groups. Reach out to people with all Covid-19 related important information, the Lt Governor added.
He also enquired about the status of medical staff, availability of telemedicine services, distribution of covid management kits, mobile vaccination, and other initiatives taken by District Administrations for Covid mitigation.
Meanwhile, the Lt Governor reviewed the progress being made for developing new Medical infrastructure in the District Hospital to augment the medical facilities, besides reviewing the establishment of Panchayat level Covid Care facilities. He also inspected the under-construction New OPD Block at District Hospital Samba and directed for its timely completion.
Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Anuradha Gupta informed the Lt Governor that 101 Panchayats of district have established Covid Care Centres with 05 bed capacity, besides 100% achievement in HCW, and 98% of above 45 years age group has been achieved. 24×7 telemedicine services and covid control room have been established in DC office alongwith e-passes facility, she added.
On being informed about the dedicated oxygen pipelines connecting Covid dedicated beds at District Hospital, Samba, the Lt Governor directed for providing all the 100 beds in the hospital with dedicated oxygen pipes and set the timelines for the same.
At Kathua, Dr. Anjali Nadir Bhat, Principal GMC Kathua, gave the present status of Covid care infrastructure and availability of healthcare facilities at GMC Kathua.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua, Rahul Yadav also apprised the Lt Governor about the covid control measures taken by the administration to contain the spread of corona virus in the district.
He informed that a total of 213 Covid Care Centres have been established at Panchayats; around 1137 patients have been facilitated with tele-medicine facilities, besides 1849 covid kits were distributed.
It was further informed that 70% vaccination of above 45 years age group has been achieved, besides 98% healthcare and frontline workers have been covered.
Emphasizing on vaccinating all the population falling under the targeted age groups, the Lt Governor directed the DC to ramp up the vaccination drive with dedicated focus on rural areas.
Earlier, the Lt Governor visited Covid Care facility at Bhargava College in Samba, took assessment of the additional healthcare facilities being augmented in the district and arrangements being made there for treatment of Covid patients.
Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Power Development Department & Information Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor; Hirdesh Kumar, Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Transport Department; Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu; Sushma Chauhan, Administrative Secretary, Higher Education Department; Dr. Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Dr. Renu Sharma Director Health Services Jammu; and other concerned officers accompanied the Lt Governor during the visits.