Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said there is a need to make the state health department’s ambulance service more effective as it is extremely necessary to take COVID-19 patients to hospitals in the shortest possible time.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures and ramp up coronavirus tests in the state.

Efforts should be made to achieve the COVID-19 testing target of 20,000 per day at the earliest and ramp it further to 25,000 per day, Adityanath said while addressing a meeting at his official residence on Sunday.

COVID-19 protocols should be adopted by all helpline services, including those under the ‘1090 women power-line’ and the ‘108 ambulance service’, he said, adding that frontline workers should get personal protective equipment such as gloves and sanitisers.

He asked the officials to strengthen surveillance system through ASHA, aanganbadi workers, Yuva Mangal Dals, among others, to counter COVID-19, according to a statement issued by the state government.

The chief minister said there is a need to make the state health department’s ambulance service more effective as it is extremely necessary to take COVID-19 patients to hospitals in the shortest possible time.

He also directed the officials to make the training system for COVID-19 treatment better. Oxygen facilities should be available in every ambulance, the chief ministere said.