Gearing up for third expected COVID wave, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday announced a group of specialists to draft paediatric treatment protocols, besides issuing directions to the state’s Health and Medical Education Department to ensure oxygen supplies, piped oxygen in the state’s government hospitals.
The Group of Specialists in Paediatrics have also been asked to frame protocols and handhold the private hospitals for enhancing paediatric beds and treatment protocols. The Group will comprise specialists from Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), Department of Health, PGI, and IAP Punjab Chapter, said the Chief Minister, while directing the Health and Medical Education departments to put into action a comprehensive plan to deal with the next wave, if and when it comes.
The Chief Minister, chairing a virtual COVID review meeting, took stock of the preparations under way for the third wave and ordered creation of storage capacities for oxygen for a minimum of three days in all GMCs, with piped O2 to be made available in all government hospitals. At least 375 MT oxygen should be available with the State at any given time, he said, stressing the need to prepare for peak supply logistics.
Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan informed the meeting that the state had received 500 oxygen concentrators on Monday against the World Bank loan for Water Surface Supply projects, and another 2500 were on the way.
Capt Amarinder also directed all Deputy Commissioners to identify Paediatric COVID L2 and L3 beds in private sector (at least 1,000), with experts to advise the district administration on Paediatric Treatment Protocol or Medicines.
He asked the officials to increase the number of RT-PCR machines for Covid testing of children, besides increasing ICU and Oxygen capacities, augmenting infrastructure and manpower, and increasing surveillance and testing across the state.
Amid indications of the damage caused by third wave in some countries as much as 25 percent higher than the second wave, the Chief Minister ordered creation of surge capacity, with plugging of gaps, if any, in equipment, recruitment of doctors, specialists, nurses, technicians etc.
The SOPs received from the Paediatric Association of India should be strictly adhered to, said the Chief Minister, directing the health experts to put into action a comprehensive plan to deal with a third surge of the pandemic.
Stocks of consumables and medicines should be maintained and capacity building of existing staff should be undertaken to ensure paediatric patient care in the next wave, directed the Chief Minister.
He also directed continuous surveillance in both urban and rural areas, along with whole genome sequencing testing must continue. Sero-survey should also be taken up from time to time, he added.