Jagatsinghpur administration gears up for virus management during lockdown

JAGATSINGHPUR:  With the State entering a 14-day lockdown from Wednesday, Jagatsinghpur administration has directed medical superintendents of primary and community health centres (PHCs and CHCs) to ensure that all Covid facilities in the district have essential infrastructure like oxygen supply, power and drinking water in place, to meet any exigency.

The district has a 65-bed Covid hospital in Paradip, two Covid Care Centres (CCC) - one at a commercial establishment in Paradip and another at a Kalyan Mandap in Jagatsinghur town - and 30 temporary medical camps (TMC) with total 1,162 beds. 

At a review meeting on Monday, Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra asked district and health officials to focus on smooth management of the Covid-19 situation during the lockdown period. During the meeting, Paradeep Phosphate Ltd (PPL)  was asked to install the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plant at the Covid hospital by May 25. Post installation, oxygen will be provided to all beds in the hospital through pipelines.

While PPL will bear the cost of setting up the plant, the government will take care of other auxiliary expenditure regarding oxygen supply to the Covid hospital. Besides, BDOs of all eight blocks and executive officers of both Jagatsinghpur and Paradip Municipality were instructed to use  public address system to ensure lockdown adherence.

It was decided to provide two ambulances and a rapid response team in each block. BDOs have been also asked to seek help of locals to cremate bodies of Covid patients.  The latter will be eligible to get Rs 7,500 for cremation of each such body, as per norms. On the other hand, SP Prakash R in a press release informed that public entry to police stations for grievance redressal, will be restricted during the lockdown. Aggrieved locals may contact police personnel via helpline numbers on WhatsApp.