All COVID hospitals, care centres should have help desk for patients' relatives, directs Odisha chief secretary

Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra on Sunday held a district wise review meeting with all collectors on COVID-19 situation and ground level preparedness for the third wave of pandemic.

Chief Secretary directed to insulate the doctors, nurses and health workers detailed for COVID duty with booster dose on priority.

Mahapatra also directed that all COVID hospitals and COVID care centers should put in place a help desk system for communication with family members and relatives of the patients.

As per the State Government, a total number of 7181 oxygen supported beds, around 1000 pediatric beds, 2024 ICUs and HDUs, and 874 ventilators were already made available in all districts.

Emphasizing upon empathetic treatment to the patients, Chief Secretary directed that patient should not feel neglected in hospitals. All should be attended with much care, and love. The family members also should be communicated about condition of the patients regularly.

Additional Chief Secretary Health and family welfare Raj Kumar Sharma said that all facilities and provisions put in place for combating the second wave should be reactivated with full force.

He also asked the Collectors to recruit the retired doctors and nurses locally as per the requirement. The Chief District Medical Officers (CDMO) and Public Health officers were asked to go ahead with booster dose vaccination with the already available vaccines in all districts.

Development Commissioner Paradeep Kumar Jena assured of all sorts of cooperation among the State and Central PSUs and Covid hospitals. The Collectors were asked to go ahead with tripartite agreements like first and second wave.

Chief Secretary Mahapatra also directed the keep additional facilities in all readiness to be made available as and when required.

"As of now, there are 16,117 active positive cases are there out of whom 15,640 patients are being treated in home isolation.

They are being managed by the rapid response team members constituted in each district and ULBs. They have not needed hospitalization.

The present trend shows that around 97 per cent of the patients can be managed without actual hospitalization. Only around 3 per cent of the available beds, 11 per cent of the ICUs and 3 per cent of the ventilators are being used.

( With inputs from ANI )