Health Minister Eatala Rajender, on Thursday, instructed officials to focus on opening government isolation centres in villages, with COVID cases increasing constantly in the rural areas.

The move is an effort to accommodate COVID patients for whom home isolation is not possible.

At a review meeting held here on Thursday, he told the officials to arrange all required facilities such as medicines and disposables in such isolation centres. He stated that about 15,000 COVID patients would require hospitalisation for every one lakh cases and arrangements were in place to provide treatment to about 10,000 in government hospitals and another 5,000 in private hospitals.

He also asked the officials to utilise the 100 ambulances gifted by several politicians and others as part of the ‘Gift a Smile’ programme taken up on Minister K.T. Rama Rao’s birthday, a couple of months back. The Minister instructed officials to focus on healthcare services for the treatment of other diseases also, particularly seasonal ones.

In the wake of increasing complaints of non-functional or defunct medical equipment in government hospitals, the Minister asked the officials to prepare a detailed report on the equipment available hospital-wise and their status and also appoint staff for their regular maintenance.

Mr. Rajender also reviewed the supply of oxygen to COVID patients in government hospitals, including the decision to establish liquid oxygen tanks at 22 hospitals. The officials explained to the Minister that liquid oxygen tanks were fully functional at Osmania, Gandhi, MGM, NIMS, Adilabad RIMS and Nizamabad General hospitals and their arrangement in King Koti, TIMS and Mahabugnagar General hospitals was completed recently.

Establishment of the facility would be completed in Siddipet and Karimnagar hospitals within a week and at the remaining places they would be completed over the next three months, officials informed the Minister.