Paddy sowing has affected the number of tests for Covid at the community health centre at Ranka.
This was noticed by the Regional Deputy Director Health Services Palamu John F Kennedy who on Saturday reached Ranka community health centre to take stock of the preparations for a possible return of the coronavirus.
The Ranka community health centre is 60 kilometers away from Daltonganj where sits the regional deputy director health services Palamu.
People here are preferring sowing more to test, said the locals at Ranka. There is one more fear. It is if one tests positive then a mandatory indoor hospital treatment.
Kennedy said he was told by the block programme manager Sudhir Kumar that the True Nat machine here is non functional over the last four days.
Again Kennedy said he was told of only 20 tests being done with the True Nat machine a day when it ought to have been 40 a day.
He asked health officials here to improve the number of covid tests a day here by motivating people not to ignore or delay in getting tested for the covid.
Similar is the case with RTPCR test for which samples are collected here at Ranka community health centre to be sent to Garhwa for a test report which takes more than four days.
Kennedy said he inspected the 6 bed children ward where he found beds in order.
He said the present incharge of the community health centre Ranka Ramshish Chowdhury was told to have pipeline oxygen facility here in this children ward. Here there are O2 concentrators which with a pipeline can be of great help.
The children ward here has simple walls without any paintings or drawings for the delight of the children.
Kennedy has asked the health officials to make this ward child friendly.
People here are not enthusiastic about vaccination as today this community health centre had 720 doses but there were not many takers of the vaccine.