Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed officials of the Health department to strengthen basic infrastructure in government-run hospitals across the State in view of the rising COVID-19 cases.
The department should take steps to ensure that hospitals are equipped with beds, including those equipped with oxygen, medicines, testing kits and other necessary resources. The CM reviewed the preparedness of the departments concerned with regard to quality medicare for patients, the poor and vulnerable sections in particular, on Monday. He wanted the officials to set up Basti Dawakhanas in all urban local bodies for taking medicine to the doorstep of the common man.
Health officials briefed Mr Rao about the pandemic situation in the State and stressed the need for COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks and avoiding public gatherings. They were of the view that imposition of lockdown at present is not required.
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The Chief Minister said though there was no need of concern over Omicron variant as of now, people should not be complacent. The government was geared up to meet any eventuality, he added.
Almost 99% beds available in the government hospitals had been equipped with oxygen supply and steps would be taken to ensure that the remaining beds were also concerted as oxygen beds. Production of oxygen had been increased from 140 MT to 324 MT and steps would be taken to see achieve target of 500 MT.
He directed the officials concerned to ensure availability of home isolation treatment kits was increased from the existing 20 lakh to one crore and the number of testing kits should be increased to two crore. Steps should be taken to ensure that doctors were available in all government-run institutions and the department should ensure that vacancies were filled at the earliest.
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With the collectorates and associated offices shifting to integrated complexes, steps should be taken to utilise the available space to strengthen the medical infrastructure. Efforts should be made to extend dialysis facilities to different parts of the State so that the number of patients availing the facility should be significantly higher than existing 10,000.
Basti Dawakhanas
The Chief Minister wanted the Health officials to extend the concept of Basti Dawakhanas to all urban local bodies as these health centres had proved successful in the GHMC limits. He directed the officials to set up one dawakhana each in the six wards in cantonment area.
Steps should be taken to set up two Basti Dawakhanas in Rasoolpura and one each in L.B. Nagar, Serilingmapally, Qutbullahpur, Kukatpally, Uppal, Malkajgiri, Jalpally, Mirpet, Peerjadiguda, Boduppal, Jawaharnagar and Nizampet. Likewise, Basti Dawakhanas should also be set up in Warangal Municipal Corporation (4), Nizamabad (3), Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Ramagundam, Khammam and Karimnagar (2 each) in addition to other municipal bodies like Suryapet and Siddipet.