Jammu and Kashmir: LG Manoj Sinha chairs meeting with senior doctors

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lt Governor; BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the Lt Governor took a detailed assessment of the preparedness being put in place in the hospitals across J&K to handle the ongoing Covid pandemic.

The Lt Governor expressed his gratitude towards all the doctors and frontline health workers for making untiring efforts in the fight against Covid-19 and rendering continuous services day and night, for saving the people affected by the deadly virus.

“I am truly grateful for the amazing work you and your team members, health workers are doing. You are an inspiration for all of us. You have served the people of J&K with dedication, courage, and patience. With your support, we will effectively control the spread of coronavirus in the UT”, the Lt Governor told the doctors.

The Lt Governor invited suggestions from the HoDs and doctors for effective management of the second wave of coronavirus and the requisite steps needed to be taken in this direction.

“All necessary measures must be taken to ramp up the availability of beds and medicines for Covid patients”, observed the Lt Governor.

The doctors informed the meeting that hospitals across the UT have enough supply of oxygen and availability of beds for providing the patients with the necessary care.

The Lt Governor called upon the senior doctors and religious leaders to spread awareness for Preventive Measures and Covid Appropriate Behaviour, besides making optimal utilization of communication medium like Social Media, Print Media, TV and Radio for reaching out to maximum population with requisite information regarding the pandemic and also for clearing the misconceptions regarding the vaccines, if any.

He advised the doctors to appeal to the religious leaders for restricting the entry of people, who are without face-masks, in all religious places.

In order to increase the vaccination among the common masses, the Lt Governor asked the doctors to motivate people to get inoculated.

He also mentioned that out of the total 88% personnel of JKP who were vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine, only six were found infected and they too become well now after successfully fighting the virus.

To break the chain of infection, the night curfew has been put in place across all municipalities and urban areas of the UT.

Places which attract large crowds like public parks have also been temporarily closed, public gathering has been restricted and markets have been asked to remain open at 50% capacity and on alternate day-wise basis, observed the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor assured the Medical fraternity that there will be no lacunas from UT administration in providing the necessary support, equipment, additional manpower to the hospitals and doctors.

During the interaction, the Lt Governor also received suggestions from the Medical fraternity.

Director Health Services Kashmir suggested the strict compliance of the SOPs and the ceiling on the number of people permitted to attend gatherings/functions set by the government for lowering the risk of spread of Coronavirus.

The Principal of GMC Srinagar informed the Lt Governor that Corona Curfew was effective in curbing the unnecessary movement of people and the same needs to be continued for some time in the future.

Similarly, senior Doctors and HoDs from Jammu, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kathua, and Doda also put forth their suggestions for the effective controlling of the second wave of coronavirus.

The suggestions included meticulous inoculation of all people, intensifying covid precautions and measures, following covid appropriate behaviour, effective policy of admissions through referrals from Sub hospitals and health centers to GMCs, and regular awareness among the people, besides morale-boosting of corona warriors.

The Principals of various Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals also apprised the Lt Governor regarding the daily admissions of Covid patients, oxygen consumption, and availability of beds in their respective hospitals.