,The Centre issued guidelines on Friday to build up the health infrastructure in the coastal areas. These arrangements are in the view of Cyclone Yaas, which is very likely to hit the east coasts on May 26. The government warned that the public health challenges must increase as the risks are even bigger with the water logging and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Union Health Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan sent a letter to the chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal. they are advised to follow the release f the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and plan accordingly. The order also stated that the health ministry is ready to provide all the support necessary for the same.
The guideline issued by the health ministry are:
- Activate health sector incident command system and emergency control room.
- Activate health sector DM plan and the hospital disaster management plan.
- The district surveillance units and public health terms should be reoriented.
- Ensure that health facilities must be stocked with sufficient essential medicines and supplies.
- Medical care and public health interventions must be planned for camps housing evacuated population.
- The major hospitals in the affected districts must be provided with satellite phones or HAM radio connections.
- The funds provided to manage Covid, NHM flexi funds or that available under disaster response fund, therefore may be utilised to bridge the fund requirement.
Discussion about this post