Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Public Health Preparedness to COVID19
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya reviews Public Health Preparedness to COVID19
admin
New Delhi: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today virtually interacted with State Health Ministers and Principal Secretaries/ Additional Chief Secretaries of States/UTs to review the Public Health Preparedness to COVID19 and progress of National COVID19 vaccination campaign. The meeting was held in view of the rising cases of the Omicron variant and the recent decisions to roll-out vaccination for the age group 15-18 years and precautionary dose for identified vulnerable categories. The meeting was officiated by the Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan.
State Health Ministers who joined the meet included Shri S Pangnyu Phom (Nagaland), Shri N K Das (Odisha), Dr. Prabhuram Choudhary (MP), Shri Ma Subramanian (Tamil Nadu), Shri Keshab Mahanta (Assam), Shri Anil Vij (Haryana), Satyendar Jain (Delhi), Shri Alo Libang (Arunachal Pradesh), Banna Gupta (Jharkhand), Shri Mangal Pandey (Bihar), Shri T.S. Singh Deo (Chhattisgarh). Ms. Chandrima Bhattacharjee, MoS Health (West Bengal) and others.
The Union Health Minister noted at the very outset that globally, countries are experiencing 3-4 times the surge in Covid-19 cases in comparison to their earlier peaks. The Omicron variant being highly transmissible, a high surge in case can overwhelm the medical system. He therefore advised the States to leave no stone unturned in ramping up infrastructure to manage a high surge so that India escapes unscathed from this episode of COVID-19.
Dr. Mandaviya said in this regard that irrespective of the COVID variants, measures for preparedness and protection remain the same. He urged the states to re-invigorate their teams to work at the ground level and strengthen monitoring and containment mechanisms. This was followed by a comprehensive and detailed discussion on various aspects of COVID management including ramping up of hospital infrastructure; increased testing; stringent restrictive measures for breaking the chain of transmission; and stress on COVID Appropriate Behaviour among the masses. Critical bottlenecks in medical infrastructure were also discussed.
Applauding the dedication and patience shown by state administrations in their fight against the pandemic and in simultaneously ensuring the welfare of the people, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said, “We have put up a strong fight against Covid earlier and this learning must be used to re-focus on efforts against the Omicron variant.” He stressed on the continued need to follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour along with renewed and stringent focus on containment measures for addressing the present surge.
