Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the State, Health Minister Eetala Rajender has said that the Health and Medical department has now focussed its attention on identifying the symptoms in the primary stage itself at village level.
At a review meeting with officials and superintendents of tertiary hospitals here on Saturday, Mr. Rajender said those with symptoms in rural areas would be shifted to the sub centres in the villages and from there to the nearest Primary Health Centre. “After the tests, all the positive patients will be sent for home isolation,” he said.
Asserting that the government was making all-out efforts to make available medicines to treat coronavirus, he said, “There is no question of shortage of the much needed medicines.” He added that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed that medicines be procured at any cost.
The Minister also held a meeting with pharma companies and suppliers of drugs. He made it clear that there was no question of allowing black marketing of coronavirus medicines. He directed officials and the suppliers to ensure that there was sufficient stock in all the medical shops across the State.
Drug Control Director Preethi Meena, who attended the meeting, asked the pharma companies to make available essential medicines to treat the ailment.
Mr. Rajender pointed out that the Chief Minister has requested Hetero Drugs management to make Remdesivir available to bring down the virus load.
Referring to the staff shortage in hospitals, he said the hospital superintendents were allowed to hire required para medical staff and assured that necessary equipment would be supplied within 24 hours. He said no symptomatic person should be turned away.
CM to take a call
The Osmania General Hospital’s century-old in-patient (IP) block might be razed to construct a new building for the tertiary care hospital. In the aftermath of rain and sewage water flooding the IP block on Wednesday, Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Saturday said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would take a decision following public request to ‘modernise’ OGH.
Sources said plans to dismantle the IP block, built in 1917 by the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, was discussed at a meeting on Friday.