Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has stepped up efforts to ensure an unabated supply of medical oxygen amidst the resurgent wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The UP government has ordered the setting up of 10 oxygen plants for the uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen to all hospitals in the state.
As per sources in the UP government, the plants are being set up at different places across the state and they will be fully functional within a week’s time.
With the number of coronavirus cases steadily rising, Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to ensure a minimum 36-hour oxygen backup in every hospital in the state. The chief minister also instructed the officials to conduct an inspection of fire safety equipment in hospitals.
The government has already issued instructions that all medical oxygen being supplied for industry work should be stopped immediately, and the entire supply be made available to only hospitals.
Presiding over a review meeting through video conference, Yogi Adityanath asked officials to swiftly procure oxygen cylinders for dedicated COVID hospitals. He said health authorities should act quickly after assessing the 15-day demand for oxygen. The CM specifically asked medical education minister Suresh Khanna to keep track of oxygen supply in the state.
UP CM asks officials to ensure the state has sufficient stocks of Remdesivir injections and other medical supplies
Besides monitoring the oxygen supply to the hospitals in the state, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has also asked concerned departments to keep a close watch on the availability of Remdesivir injection in the state so that there is no paucity of medicines.
The chief minister asked the food and drug administration and health department to ensure that COVID-19 patients in home isolation don’t face a scarcity of medicines. He directed the FDA control room to closely monitor Remdesivir stock and asked medical and health minister Jai Pratap Singh to ensure the supply chain of Remdesivir and other medicines are not choked.
The UP government has also set up a 24/7 control room where officials will evaluate the availability of the stock on a daily basis.
Yogi Adityanath directs authorities to expand bed capacities, enforce stricter quarantine measures and impose fines on violators
In his virtual meeting, Yogi Adityanath also asked officials to expand the capacity of ICU and isolation beds in areas worst affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The CM said facilities in Kanpur’s GSV Medical College, Rama Medical College and Narayan Medical College need to be upgraded.
Besides, the CM also recommended conducting sanitisation and fogging on a war footing during weekend lockdowns and rigorously carrying out screening of passengers arriving from other states. Those infected with COVID-19 should be quarantined with adequate facilities, he said. The chief minister also asked the authorities to conduct RTPCR tests in earnest to detect the cases early and stop the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, Yogi Adityanath asked officials to intensify the drive to restrict people from assembling in large numbers and enforcing mask compliance for people who venture out of their houses. He also directed the authorities to take strict action against the violators, such as slapping a Rs 1000 fine for not wearing masks.