41 positive cases in Punjab; govt assigns task to Baba Farid University to come out with a Covid-19 manual
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
In view of 41 positive patients of COVID-19 in the state till today, the Punjab Government has started preparing for medical preparedness in the tertiary care centres as well as in the hospitals. All the three Tertiary Care Hospitals viz. Government Medical Colleges of Faridkot 580 beds and 26 ventilators, Amritsar 180 beds and 35 ventilators and in GMC Patiala 600 beds and 40 ventilators have demarcated for taking care of COVID-19 positive patients.
Disclosing this here today Principal Secretary Medical Education and Research D K Tiwari said that Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) was assigned the responsibility of bringing out the COVID-19 Manual. The manual would describe in elaborated form the pre-requisite and procurements to be followed at each step, which a suspected patient takes in the Health care Centre – whether it is a Community Health Centre, Rehabilitation Centre or a Tertiary Care Centre.
The Principal Secretary further pointed out that it had also been given the responsibility to study day to day projection of the disease. All the tertiary care hospitals have been quipped with adequate facilities of Ventilators, PPE Kits, N95 Masks alongwith qualified manpower of Specialists and trainees. Each institution has made Duty Rosters round the Clock consisting of Residents and Specialists predominantly from Medicine, Anesthesia and Pulmonary Medicine in critical areas while specialists of other branches of Medicine in non-critical area, he added.
Tiwari also mentioned that the responsibility for procurement of the material and equipment will be handled by the Health Department and logistics of all the three medical colleges are studied and supplemented on day to day basis. The testing which has been approved by the Govt. on the pattern of ICMR is being done in Virology Lab of Govt. Medical College, Amritsar and Patiala, whereas the establishment of this facility at Faridkot is in pipeline. The equipment for Faridkot regarding this Lab is expected to reach by this Friday, thus the testing facility at Faridkot shall start immediately.
The Doctors and Paramedics alongwith other ancilliary staff of these institutions are working round the clock to fight with the disease. The logistics which are needed in ensuing critical period are finding some difficulties in procurements, as there is a tremendous load on the manufacturers and dealers from all the sides. It is expected that as soon as indigenous ventilators and PPE kits would be available, the State will be further richened to fight against the disease.
Notably, since March 9, 2020, when the first patient of COVID-19 was reported in Punjab, the State Government imposed Curfew on March 23, 2020, a day prior to National Lockdown to contain this contagious disease efficaciously.
April,1,2020
