Vijayawada: Chief Minister Jagan has directed the health authorities to expedite Covid vaccination so as to prevent the spread of the pandemic in the state.
The chief minister held a high-level meeting with health minister AKK Srinivas and other senior officials at his camp office here on Monday to review the state’s preparedness for the third wave with specific reference to its new variant Omicron.
Jagan laid stress on completing the double dose of Covid-19 jabs soonest by January.
The officials said they were carrying out RT-PCR tests at the airports and enforcing Covid guidelines such as wearing of masks and restrictions on social gatherings. AP would get a genome sequencing lab in a week’s time, they said, and informed the CM that they were carrying out the 32nd phase of the fever survey in the state.
AP was having 1,912 Covid19 positive active cases at present while the recovery rate was 99.12 per cent with a daily positivity rate registering at 0.52 per cent.
As part of preparations to face the third wave of coronavirus, the officials said they had ensured the setting up of oxygen generation plants in private hospitals having more than 100 beds. Out of the targeted setting up of PSA plants in 69 hospitals, 43 hospitals have this in place.
They said 23,457 oxygen concentrators were available while 27,311 D-type oxygen cylinders were kept ready, he said, and added that out of the targeted setting up of 144 PSA plants, so far 121 plants were set up.
While reviewing the Nadu-Nadu programme, CM laid stress on ensuring a perceptible change in the health infrastructure and directed the authorities to speed up construction of new medical colleges.
On the Aarogyasri scheme, Jagan felt the need to bring about more awareness among the people on the availability of a host of healthcare services under the scheme and asked officials to set up hoardings in village secretariats. Village clinic must serve as a referral point so that the people could get to know the kind of services available at various hospitals.
The CM called for providing super speciality services to cancer patients and felt the need to set up three super speciality hospitals in three regions in addition to providing treatment to such patients under the Aarogyasri scheme. He called for strengthening the Aarogya Mitra system in the hospitals.
The CM gave green signal for setting up medical equipment like MRI facility in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, Cathlabs in Kakinada and Kurnool and anaesthesia facility in Paderu and Araku and other facilities at a total cost of Rs 37.03 crore.
He sought information on the quality of air and water from village clinics on a regular basis and also called for steps to prevent anemia involving anganwadi workers at village clinics.
The CM underscored the need for filling up vacancies in government hospitals and asked the health authorities to display the boards with information on the number of beds, doctors and health staff besides strengthening the infrastructure to the national standards in the hospitals in the state.
