The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has set in motion a slew of concrete measures to effectively prevent the spread of coronavirus infections and protect its workforce from COVID-19.
SCCL Director (Operations, PA&W) S. Chandrasekhar and Director (Finance, P&P) N. Balram reviewed the whole gamut of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, including testing, vaccination and treatment services, with the general managers of all the 11 Areas of the SCCL through a videoconference on Friday.
The directors asked the GMs to set up special wards with 500 beds in addition to the existing 700 beds presently available at the COVID isolation wards in the area hospitals across the coal belt region.
Stating that adequate quantity of COVID-19 medicines, including injections and oxygen cylinders, were being made available at the area hospitals in the coal belt as a precautionary measure, they said discussions were on with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and other industries to ensure regular supply of oxygen cylinders exclusively for the SCCL. Until then, the oxygen cylinders will be procured locally, they noted.
As many as 25,000 rapid antigen test kits are being dispatched to all the 11 Areas of the company to scale up the COVID-19 testing, the directors said, adding that around 15,000 persons, including the SCCL employees and their family members were inoculated against COVID-19 so far. The vaccination drive will be intensified to cover the entire workforce of the SCCL by the end of next month.
A total of 20 doctors have already been appointed as per the instructions of SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N. Sridhar to strengthen COVID-19 treatment services and if required, additional staff including nurses and ward boys, will be appointed by the GMs in their respective areas.
The SCCL directors underlined the need for constantly monitoring the COVID-19 situation by setting up control rooms and promptly shifting the COVID-19 patients to the isolation wards for proper treatment in view of the anticipated surge in coronavirus cases next month.
