AMN / WEB DESK
The Union health ministry has asked the states and Union territories to hold mock drills at all health facilities on Tuesday. It will be done to ensure the readiness of the COVID-19 health facilities to meet the increase in clinical care needs due to any spurt in cases,
In view of a surge in the Covid trajectory in many countries, it is necessary that the requisite public health measures are put in place in all the states to meet any exigencies, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to the states on Saturday.
The preparedness of the Covid health facilities is crucial to ensure that all the districts are in a state of readiness to meet the increase in clinical care needs due to any spurt in cases, Bhushan said.
“It has therefore been decided to hold mock drill at all health facilities (including identified COVID dedicated health facilities) across the country on Tuesday, 27th December,” he said in the letter.
“The objective of this exercise is to ensure operational readiness of these health facilities for management of COVID-19,” the health secretary added.
The focus during the exercise shall be on parameters such as geographically representative availability of health facilities (covering all districts), bed capacities — isolation beds, oxygen-supported isolation beds, ICU beds and ventilator-supported beds — and an optimal availability of doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH doctors and other frontline workers, such as ASHA workers and anganwadi workers.
It will also focus on the human resource capacity in terms of the number of healthcare professionals trained in Covid management, healthcare professionals trained in the ventilatory management protocol for severe cases, healthcare workers trained in the operation of PSA plants etc. And the availability of Advanced and Basic Life Support (ALS/BLS) ambulances, other ambulances (under the PPP mode or with NGOs) and the availability of a functional ambulance call centre.