NEW DELHI/JAMMU: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today interacted with the DDC Chairpersons and Municipal Council Presidents of his Udhampur- Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency vis-à-vis Covid-19 management and asked them to regularly follow up COVID related facilities in their respective districts, constituencies and areas. He said that their role, being elected representatives, becomes imperative to tackle the Covid19 pandemic in their respective territories.
During the interaction, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the elected DDC representatives, having the legitimate authority, can play a pivotal role in this pandemic using their resources and authority so as to live up to the expectations of people. The Minister also impressed upon them to conduct regular meetings with the concerned Deputy Commissioners and top health officials of the district so as to bring to the notice of the concerned the important requirements related to Covid19 management, be that ventilators, oxygen concentrators required on war footing basis.
The Minister emphasized yet again during the interaction to revive ‘Tele-Consultation’ facilities for rural and far flung areas for which the guidelines already exist for the empanelment of recognised doctors on a shift wise basis and will reduce burden of patients at District Hospitals through indiscriminate referral system.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, while appreciating the efforts of frontline workers vis-à-vis vaccination drive across J&K, said that on an average according to the recent statistics available, more than 62 percent vaccination has been done in J&K which is higher than the average percentage for whole of India. He emphasized that DDC Chairpersons can again play an important role in the vaccination drive by establishing vaccination centres at local levels so as to assist locally and administratively in it.
He stressed that the elected representatives must involve themselves in Covid Care Centres established at Panchayat levels so as to boost the healthcare system at grassroots level and confidence among those patients admitted there.
On the current Covid positivity and fatality rate across J&K, the Minister said that from the last many days, the Covid19 fatality and positivity has decreased considerably which is a good sign and can boost the confidence of people vis-à-vis healthcare facilities.
Responding to the concerns raised by the DDC Chairpersons about the treatment of non-covid critical patients, mainly cancer patients requiring chemotherapy and kidney patients requiring dialysis, the Minister said that the efforts are being made to earmark beds for such patients at GMC and other associated hospitals, now as the Covid19 cases have started decreasing from last many days.
The participating DDC Chairpersons and Municipal Council Presidents thanked the Union Minister for sending the COVID related material from his personal resources for the Udhampur Kathua Doda Lok Sabha constituency and for establishing oxygen plants wherever required. They also thanked him for allocating Rs 2.5 crore from his MP fund for Covid facilities in the constituency.
The DDC Chairpersons acknowledged that after Dr Jitendra Singh’s intervention, there is now sufficient oxygen supply in the hospitals and the COVID-19 beds have also been increased after the Minister took up the issue on a war footing basis.
Lal Chand Bhagat, Col (Retd) Mahan Singh, Sarf Singh Nag, Dr Shamshada Shan, Pooja Thakur, Naresh Sharma, J K Gupta, Dr Jogeshwar Gupta, Dr. Shahid Mughal and others were among DDc Chairpersons and Municipal Presidents present in the meeting.
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