Rise of Covid-19 cases in rural areas worries Health department

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jun 2 (EMN): The principal director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Neikhrielie Khimiao, on Wednesday said that Covid-19 situation in Dimapur and Kohima was ‘slightly improving’ but expressed concern over the rise of cases in other districts.

“It appears that it (Covid-19) is now going into the rural areas, for which we have already worked out a surveillance team to work at each level,” he told journalists.

He added there are teams starting from district hospitals (DHs), community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs) and even at the sub-centres (SCs) to work out modalities and to carry out contact tracing, vaccination and to mobilise the staff to collect data and correct information of the public.

Reacting to allegations made by the Naga People’s Front (NPF) party, the official maintained: “For somebody to point fingers at someone, there is always room for that to happen.” He stated that on the part of the government, there are ‘sufficient required medicines, equipment on surgical items and they have been provided to all the districts in every way possible starting from the first wave of Covid-19’.

Khimiao also asserted that a team led by a senior officer in the department has also being constituted to represent each district, wherein they collect daily updates from the medical superintendents and chief medical officers of the respective districts.

‘Thereon, at the directorate level, during the peace zone meeting, the problems confronting the district are taken up and addressed day by day.

‘Till now, we have not run out of medicines in whatever way possible. Maybe, in between one or two items may run out but the life-saving drugs are always made available to the districts,’ said the official.

He maintained that the ‘department is also putting up proposals to the government for further requirements and with the sanctions, the suppliers are directed to procure the same in limited times’.

CIHSR makeshift Covid hospital

Meanwhile, the official informed that a 176-bedded makeshift Covid hospital at Christian Institute of Health Science and Research (CIHSR) will be equipped with all facilities for treating Covid-19 patients and even to conduct surgery for Covid positive patients.

Informing that INR 30 crore is being sanctioned for the construction of the facility, he said and said the makeshift hospital is expected to be completed in about three months’ time.

He also informed that the state government has sanctioned the project but the overall maintenance will be met by CIHSR.

Vaccination and SOP

The doctor said that if people follow all the standard operating procedures, and if the vaccination is successful, the third wave of Covid-19 may not happen to a small state like Nagaland.

He informed that vaccination for all healthcare workers is also being made mandatory and that immunisation would continue as it’s been reported that the production of vaccines would be ramped up.

He further said that the entire population should be vaccinated if the state gets adequate supply of vaccines and that preparations are on to scale up the drive even in rural areas.

He said the areas of concern of the Health department — manpower management, oxygen supply, vaccination, essential drugs availability, and cases spreading to rural areas — have been put into consideration.

The principal director also acknowledged the private hospitals for coming forward to admit Covid-19 patients, which has given a huge relief to the government. He said the government on its part is giving full support to private hospitals in terms of oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators.

He reiterated that a dedicated team from Covid war room led by a nodal officer is overseeing the oxygen distribution to ensure that the oxygen supply reaches the far-flung districts of the state.

He added that it has not received any report of patients being deprived of oxygen till date.