While the Covid-19 cases continue mounting in Jammu and Kashmir alongside the infection related deaths, the J&K High Court has directed the Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education to come out on affidavit, within two weeks, with complete details of the infrastructure, logistics and medicines available for combating the 2nd Covid wave in the union territory. Hearing a matter on the crisis situation thrown by the COVID-19 epidemic, the court directed the Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education to submit complete details of the number of COVID hospitals, both government and private, number of beds available, district-wise/city-wise, quantity of remdesivir allotted to the Union territory, the exact quantity of remdesivir received and used with the corresponding figures of the requirement. The court, however, maintained that it is conscious of the fact that government is taking due steps for controlling the pandemic and to provide full medical support and observed that the material on record doesn’t indicate any shortage of oxygen and medicines, including remdesivir, or of doctors or staff. Meanwhile, the Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha has took cognizance of the media reports regarding Coivd-19 management in the hospitals across the UT and directed the concerned functionaries to ensure that doctors are available at the hospitals and every individual seeking medicare is attended with full dedication.
Though the Governor administration has been insisting that the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is fully geared up to tackle the second wave of Covid-19, some reports have been appearing in local media that in certain hospitals there was shortage of oxygen, oxygen beds and necessary medicines. Some reports also suggest that there is shortage of vaccines and lots of people, otherwise registered to get vaccinated, fail to get the same due to shortage of doses. Now that the High Court has asked the government to come up with all relevant details and the Lt Governor too has asked his administration to take note of media reports, it is expected that the air will be cleared in coming days to do away with the scare prevalent among the masses. While dealing with the Covid-19 crisis is the administration’s top most responsibility at the moment, making all necessary information available to the masses too is its duty. Lack of proper information leads to rumours and given the wide spread reach of social media, unfiltered and unverified information is dished out all over. Such flow of unverified information adds to the scare amongst the people resulting into panic and also hoarding of oxygen cylinders and medicines. It is therefore expected that the government would be sharing information with the public on daily basis so that people fight the battle against the pandemic with positive attitude.
