Chandigarh: Amid projections and concerns of a possible third wave of Covid-19 and its impact on children, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Thursday ordered the Health Department to go into mission mode with preparation, which will include specialised training of all doctors.
Reviewing the coronavirus situation at a virtual meeting, the Chief Minister directed the state expert group head K.K. Talwar to look into all aspects of medical education, and to get training modules prepared for the Health Department.
He underlined the need to ensure that all medical officers in the state are trained to deal with Covid, especially in children. Expressing concern over the spread of Covid in rural areas, the Chief Minister directed that teams of Health and other departments immediately start house-to-house surveillance in every village.
The teams should be equipped to give basic medicines without delay, and RAT testing of symptomatic persons must be got done at the earliest, he said. He also directed that some community health centres in each district be prepared as L2 facilities, with oxygen concentrators and doctors with proper treatment protocols.
Stressing the importance of involving sarpanches in this exercise, the Chief Minister ordered their prioritisation, along with that of panches, as well as Block Samiti and Zila Parishad chairmen and members, in vaccination. The Police Department must also provide support, especially through their Village Police Officers, he added.
Taking note of the fact that some hospitalised patients need oxygen support for a few days after discharge, the Chief Minister asked the Health Department to allow their 5 litre per minute concentrators to be used for this purpose on a temporary loan basis. He also asked the department to set up bank of oxygen concentrators for this purpose, besides establishing post-Covid care wards in civil hospitals.
Health Minister Balbir Sidhu suggested establishment of rapid response teams and involvement of RMP doctors in monitoring in the rural reas to check the spread of the cases. Medical Education Secretary D.K. Tiwari said that the positivity rate during May 2-8 week stood at 18.5 per cent but had since declined.