Coronavirus pandemic: Isolation, quarantine facilities on standby in JK, says Atul Dulloo

Jammu : The Government is drawing a comprehensive plan to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic by increasing the isolation and quarantine facilities across Jammu and Kashmir.
The government has decided to close routine activities in identified hospitals and converting others into isolation and quarantine facilities to face any eventuality.
The decision in this regard was taken during a review meeting held Monday regarding the advance preparedness of COVID-19 chaired by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo.
During the meeting several decisions with regard to making infrastructure available for isolation and quarantine set ups and mobilizing the human resource for their effective functioning were taken.
It was decided in the meeting that the number of isolation beds and quarantine facilities at the hospitals is being increased to stay prepared in case of any eventuality.
Elaborating on its advance preparedness, the government said in Jammu, it has decided to dedicate the Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar entirely including newly constructed 200 Bedded Block to people presumed to be COVID-19 Hospital.
It has also been decided that GB pant hospital, Satwari, Jammu will be made functional for isolation facilities. Further, Psychiatric Hospital Jammu will also be converted into isolation ward. However, the patients of Psychiatric Hospital shall be shifted to CD Hospital, Jammu.
Stepping up its preparations, in the Kashmir division, apart from isolation facilities in its various hospitals, the government has decided to convert SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, Srinagar, C D Hospital Srinagar, JLNM Hospital, Srinagar and Police Hospital, Srinagar entirely for isolation purposes. It also said the newly constructed IPD blocks in the District Hospitals of Ganderbal, Pulwama, Shopian, Kupwara will be used for stepping up isolation beds.
The chair directed the officials to mobilize the human resource and the necessary equipments in order to make these isolation facilities fully functional and also directed that a duty roster of specialists and doctors shall be prepared for the effective functioning of the isolation facilities. He further said medical officers will be trained on urgent basis for the management of ventilators, besides training for nurses and paramedics for handling the people presumed to be COVID-19.
The officers were also directed to take all measures to mobilize the paramedical staff and keep a reserve pool of medical officers and para-medical staff to face any eventuality.
The directions have also been passed to the hospital authorities to suspend all non-essential and elective surgeries and redeployment of doctors, specialists and para-medical staff will be carried out from the peripheries in case the need arises.
The government has also said the services of NHM/ISM doctors and Mid-level health providers (MLPs) from Health and Wellness Centre will also be utilised.
The meeting also decided that the walk in interview for the medical officers by the National Health Mission should be expedited on an urgent basis.
The meeting was attended by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma; Mission Director National Health Mission, J&K, Bhupinder Kumar; Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Renu Sharma; Principal Government Medical College, Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina; Director New Medical Colleges, Dr Yashpal Sharma; Joint Director Planning H&ME, Madan Lal and other concerned.
Concerned officials from Kashmir division participated in the meeting via video conferencing.