Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today discussed Covid preparedness and containment measures with the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Y K Joshi and senior Army officials from Northern and Western Commands, here at Raj Bhavan.
Lieutenant General S. Hari Mohan Iyer, Chief of Staff, Northern Command and Major General Neeraj Gosain, GOC 26 Div were present in the meeting.
While appreciating and lauding the ongoing efforts of the Army in providing necessary support in form of Covid-care hospitals, the LG, according to an official press release asked the senior Army officials of Northern and Western Commands to explore the possibility of enhancing the capacity at 100-bedded Covid-care facilities to 200 beds with oxygen support.
The LG also asked the officials of Northern Command to collaborate their efforts with Western Command to augment the 100 beds capacity of Covid-19 centre at Army Public School Domana, Jammu to 200 beds.
He assured that J&K government will provide every possible assistance and resources to the Army for enhancing the already existing Covid-care facilities in the UT including medical infrastructure, equipment, and oxygen supply.
The senior Army officials apprised the LG about the efforts put up by the Army in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir to combat the pandemic including Western Command’s 100-bedded Covid care centre at Army Public School Domana in Jammu; 250-bedded Covid hospital in Kashmir’s Rangreth area jointly operationalized by Chinar Corps and Civil administration.
It was informed that treatment of Covid positive cases is also being done at Military hospitals after the referral of Civil administration.
Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited COVID-care hospitals here on Friday and stressed the need for senior doctors to have personal interaction with patients and their attendants to ensure better treatment.
Sinha visited the Government Hospital in Gandhi Nagar, Chest Diseases & TB Hospital, and Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, and took the first-hand appraisal of the infrastructure and patient-care management at these facilities.
During his visits, the LG enquired about the number of patients being treated at the hospitals, patients discharged after recovery and availability of oxygen-supported beds.
According to an official press release, the LG while inspecting the functionality of oxygen generation plants in the hospitals, directed for effective rationalization of available resources to cater to the requirements of the patients.
He directed the hospitals to ensure that best possible care is given to the patients through regular rounds of Heads of Departments (HoDs) and senior doctors in the wards. He also emphasized on strict compliance of the hospital referral policy and triage in the hospitals.
“Doctors must have personal interaction with the patients and their attendants to ensure better treatment,” the LG said.
He directed the health department officers concerned to increase COVID-dedicated beds with oxygen support in the shortest possible time for providing best patient-care in the COVID-care hospitals.
At Chest Diseases & TB hospital Jammu, the LG enquired from incharge of triage facility, Dr Rajeshwar Sharma, about the number of patients being treated, number of patients discharged after recovery, and health infrastructure available in the hospital to treat all COVID-19 patients.
In order to strengthen health workforce, the LG directed the authorities of COVID-care hospitals to increase the paramedical staff, besides rationalizing the medical staff from peripheral hospitals of the district.
Directions were also passed for strict compliance of duty rosters at all hospitals.
It was informed that the trial run of 2400 LPM (litres per minute) capacity oxygen generation plant in GMC Hospital here is going on and the same would be made fully functional by May 08, enabling the addition of about 125 coronavirus-dedicated beds at the facility in Jammu.
