AMN
Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today visited Lady Hardinge Medical College, LHMC in New Delhi to review status of COVID-19 management.
Keeping in view the emerging requirements for hospital preparedness, LHMC and Associated Hospitals, Sucheta Kriplani Hospital and Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital is functioning as dedicated COVID-19 hospitals consisting of adequate isolation wards and beds.
The Minister visited the Hospital emergency, OPD, sampling center, critical areas of COVID block and changing facility for doctors and health workers.
At the COVID block, the Minister spoke through video call to two intern doctors who were infected with COVID-19, while treating patients at LHMC, and admitted at the facility. Union Minister also interacted with two patients admitted in the COVID ward through video, who, in turn, apprised the Minister about the facilities in COVID ward.
After a detailed review and inspection of the various wards and premises of the Hospital, he expressed satisfaction at the working of the various units.
Dr Vardhan said, in last few days, he has been visiting various hospitals AIIMS (Delhi), LNJP, RML, Safdarjung, AIIMS Jhajjar, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty and now LHMC to review the preparedness of COVID-19 and he is satisfied with the arrangements made by these hospitals to deal effectively with the outbreak.
He also commended the frontline caregivers such as nurses, doctors and other healthcare personnel for the resilience, hard work, dedication and commitment shown by them in dealing with COVID-19.
The Health Minister said, the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has steadily increased which shows that more and more of these patients are getting better and going back to their homes. He said, till now around 10,000 COVID patients have recovered and have joined their normal life and majority of patients in other hospitals are also on road to recovery.
Dr Vardhan said, it reflects the quality of care provided by the frontline health workers in India. He said, the country is grateful to them for their services in such times. He said, It is heartening to see the high morale of the health warriors in these testing times.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan also stated that the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 in the country is being monitored regularly at highest level in collaboration with the States. As per the data received today, for the past three days the doubling rate is 12.0, for seven days 11.7 and for 14 days it is 10.4. He further said there is a need to adhere to strict physical distancing and basic hand hygiene etiquettes properly to take lockdown 3.0 to a logical end.
The Health Minister said, we have crossed over 10 lakh tests till date and are performing over 74,000 tests in a day presently. He further said that the Government has distributed around 20 lakh PPE kits all over India and supplied medicines both Hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol to more than 100 countries world over.