In a letter to states on Saturday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is imperative that the required public fitness measures are implemented in all states to deal with any emergency amid a buildup in the Covid trajectory in several countries.
He further said the availability of Covid fitness services is critical to ensuring all districts are ready to address any increase in healthcare needs.
“So, it was to organize a simulation workout in all gyms (including known Covid-committed gyms) across the country on Tuesday, December 27. The objective of this training is to guarantee the operational availability of those gyms for the control of Covid-19,” he said in the letter.
What will be the exercise?
During the exercise, parameters such as the geographically representative availability of fitness services (covering all districts), bed capacity: isolation beds, oxygen isolation beds, extensive care beds and ventilator-assisted beds will be assessed. In addition, the optimal availability of doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH doctors and other frontline personnel, such as ASHA staff and Anganwadi staff, will be assessed.
The training will also focus on the capacity of human resources in terms of number of fitness professionals trained in Covid control, fitness professionals trained in the ventilatory control protocol for severe cases, fitness body of workers trained in the operation of PSA factories, etc. and the availability of Basic and Advanced Life Support (ALS/BLS) ambulances, other ambulances (in PPP mode or with NGOs) and the availability of a functioning ambulance call centre.
It will also cover the number and capacity of Covid testing laboratories, the availability of RT-PCR and RAT kits, the availability of testing apparatus and reagents and the availability of medicines, ventilators, BIPAP, SPO systems, PPE kits, N-95 masks, medical oxygen: oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, PSA factories, liquid medical oxygen garage tanks, medical fuel piping system, etc.
“The drill will likely be conducted under the overall direction of the respective district collectors/district magistrates in close consultation with officials from the state fitness branch and UT,” the letter said.
“It is expected that the District Watch Officer (DSO) running in coordination with CMHOS, the IDSP will definitely download knowledge of the facilities for all districts until the evening of Tuesday, December 27,” he added.
Senior fitness officials will have to personally monitor the exercise.
Bhushan extra said that the follow-up of any hole assessment will be carried out through the additional lead secretary, the chief secretary, the secretary (health) or the state MD-NHM, who will also be required to monitor the exercise personally under the general direction of the Ministers of Health of the respective states.
The Minister of Health focuses on the “Test-Track-Treat-Vacunate”
Earlier, on December 23, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavya held a virtual meeting with state and territory fitness ministers on the rise in Covid-19 cases in some parts of the world. The meeting was held to talk about preparedness in the country amid reports of Covid spiraling cases in China and some other countries.
During the meeting, the Union’s health minister urged states to be alert and prepare for Covid management. “The Center and the states will have to work in a spirit of collaboration as we have done in previous initiatives,” Mandavya said.
In addition, he suggested to States the tracking system; boost testing and ensure the preparation of hospital infrastructure. He also insisted on “Try-Follow-Treat-Vaccinate” and said that the appropriate habit for Covid remains the proven strategy for managing the pandemic.
“In addition, he insisted on combating the pandemic with a preventive and proactive technique through the expansion of testing, genome sequencing and monitoring of appropriate behavior for Covid. Don’t panic. We have 3 years of fun in handling the pandemic. The Central Government will supply everything to combat COVID-19. We will take the necessary measures,” Mandiya said.
(With PTI inputs)
READ ALSO: China, which registers almost one million daily cases of covid, could report more than four million every 24 hours in March: report
© 2009-2022 Independent Press Service. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, analyze online page traffic, personalize content and deliver fast ads, we invite you to read how we use cookies and how you can use them from the links provided. By using our site, you in particular consent to our use of cookies.