Vaccination, vaccination and more vaccination. That should be the strategy of the State government to face the pandemic of Coronavirus, Telangana High Court observed on Wednesday.
A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, hearing a batch of PIL pleas on COVID-19-connected matters, said if more people were vaccinated the chances of people falling prey to the virus would be less. In fact, the government should introduce and encourage walk-in vaccination at all places.
With private and corporate hospitals being permitted to administer COVID-19 vaccines, the government should not have any barriers to promote walk-in vaccination. This would help citizens overcome the fear of contracting the virus if they went to crowded places for vaccination, the Chif Justice observed.
The bench wanted to know from the government why mobile ambulances were not being sent to remote rural areas to administer vaccines.
The bench said that among other issues connected to COVID-19, mental health of patients and their attendants was of paramount importance.
“How do you handle mental health of patients/attendants who lost their loved ones,” the bench sought to know. Public Health Director G. Srinivasa Rao participating in the virtual hearing informed the court that services of the Institute of Mental Health can be availed in this regard by the government.
“Does the institute conduct webinars...Does it have any specific programmes to treat the mental health issues faced by people due to Coronavirus?” was question Chief Justice Hima Kohli put to Dr. Rao.
The Chief Justice suggested to him that the Institute should have a tie-up with NGOs on the matter and help people by conducting webinars and making CDs on the subject.
Referring to the outbreak of a possible third wave of the virus, the bench asked Public Health Director what was the government’s blue print to face the situation.
It also wanted to know if there were any other government children hospitals in the State apart from Niloufer Children Hospital located in State capital of Hyderabad.
