To ramp up the screening of symptomatic persons on war footing especially in rural areas of Punjab as well as to take stock of preparation being made at Government and private COVID Care Centres, a virtual meeting was held on Saturday by Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, with the Civil Surgeons of 11 Districts -- Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Bathinda, Sangrur, Mansa, Ferozepur, Ropar, Barnala, Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib.
Presiding over the meeting, the Health Minister said that still, there is misconception among the people that they are suffering from the seasonal viral and typhoid etc. but ultimately when they reached the hospitals due to breathing complications, they are diagnosed with COVID-19. Expressing concern over these circumstances, he instructed the Civil Surgeons to intensify the screening drive in villages as 58 percent deaths have been registered in rural populations against 27 percent COVID-19 cases.
The Minister said that considering the high CFR of the State, there is also need to keep close watch on the functioning of Private Clinics/RMPs in villages. He said that Senior Medical Officers must ensure the COVID testing of every single symptomatic person who are getting the treatment from such clinics. If any private health facility has not shared the information concerning the symptomatic persons on routine basis, they must be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act for violating Government‘s guidelines, he added.
Sidhu instructed that all the Para Medical Staff be utilized to conduct survey of the rural populations and ensure that maximum sampling is to be done. He also stressed upon the need to provide timely Corona Fateh Kits to the home isolated patients as the recovery rate of HI is more than 98 percent.
The Civil Surgeons were directed to coordinate any shortcoming with the Director Health Services so that timely and immediate concerns raised can be addressed. The Health Minister directed that there should be no shortage of medicines in the Civil Hospitals and also reviewed the Stock position of the Vaccines available.
Keeping in view the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases, the Minister also asked to increase the beds in L2 and L3 facilities, he said that coming 15 days are very critical for Punjab and the state Government has put all efforts to save the precious lives that are afflicted with this deadly virus.
INDUSTRIES MINISTER ARORA APPEALS TO INDUSTRY TO PROVIDE OXYGEN CYLINDERS AVAILABLE WITH THEM TO ADMINISTRATION FOR USE IN HOSPITALS
Lauding the Industry for their significant role in complementing the state government's efforts to curb second COVID wave, Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora on Saturday appealed to industry for providing oxygen cylinders lying available with them to the District Administration for use in the Hospitals.
The ferocious second wave of COVID has forced an acute shortage of Oxygen required in the Hospitals for Covid Patients, Arora said pointing out that the state is making round the clock efforts in strengthening the supply chain of Oxygen from manufacturing to the Hospitals.
Availability of sufficient quantity of Oxygen Cylinders is a vital part of this supply chain, Arora said, urging the Industrial Units and traders to come forward and provide Oxygen Cylinders lying in Industry to the District Administration for use in the Hospitals.