Staff Reporter
The Central Government has asked the States and Union Territories to take adequate steps to ramp up the health infrastructure and deployment of health care workers to effectively deal with the rising cases of Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter written to all the States and Union Territories today, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked the States and UTs to earmark different categories of beds in private clinical establishments for Covid care.
The States and UT administrations have also been asked to ensure that the charges levied by such health facilities must be reasonable. The Centre has also urged to upgrade Covid Care Centres’ beds to oxygen supported beds.
States has also been asked to engage retired medical professionals or MBBS students for providing tele consultation services and skilling of community volunteers in basic care and management at Covid Care Centres. It has been requested that all district hospitals and medical college hospitals at district headquarter level be utilized as e-sanjeevani tele consultation hub for providing e-OPD and tele consultation to patients.
Union Health Ministry said that augmenting human resources especially health care workers for Covid management is important to tackle the rising cases of Covid-19.