[the_ad_placement id=”adsense-in-feed”]
– globalbihari bureau
New Delhi: Notwithstanding the ongoing political blame-game between the BJP ruled Centre and Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government over (mis) handling of COVID-19 pandemic situation in the national capital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday sought to reassure Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that “the Centre was committed to check the COVID-19 spread in Delhi and keep the national capital safe”.
Kejriwal tweeted that Centre and Delhi government will fight together against COVID-19.
[the_ad_placement id=”content-placement-after-3rd-paragraph”]
Shah alongwith his cabinet colleague and Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan had held an “emergency” meeting with Baijal and Kejriwal as well as Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences besides senior officers on Sunday morning at the instance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Supreme Court sent notices and demanded reply by Wednesday from Centre as well as five other state governments including the Delhi government on the “deplorable” situation in these states.
Also read: A day after apex court’s notice for deplorable COVID-19 situation, PM calls for an “emergency” meeting in Delhi
Soon after the meeting on Sunday, Shah ordered the immediate transfer of four IAS officers — – Awanish Kumar and Monica Priyadarshini from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gaurav Singh Rajawat and Vikram Singh Mallik from Arunachal Pradesh, to New Delhi to assist the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for management of COVID-19. Shah also directed attachment with the Delhi government of two senior IAS officers — SCL Das and SS Yadav — from the central government.
The following were the decisions taken in the meeting:
- The Central Government to immediately provide 500 converted rail coaches to the Delhi Government in view of the scarcity of beds for Corona patients in Delhi hospitals, . With this, 8,000 more beds will be available in Delhi and these will be equipped with all facilities in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
- House-to-house health surveys to be conducted in Containment Zones in the capital to improve Contact Mapping. The survey report to be made available within a week. For effective monitoring all residents will be asked to download Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones.
- COVID-19 testing to be doubled within the next two days and trebled after six days in order to check the Corona virus spread in Delhi. Besides, in the Containment Zones, testing facility to be made available in each Polling Station.
- A Committee of Senior doctors in AIIMS to be constituted so that the Best Practices in the fight against Corona are communicated to the lowest level. A Helpline Number on telephonic guidance will be set up and released tomorrow.
- A Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. VK Paul, Member NITI Aayog to ensure the availability of 60% of their Corona beds by private hospitals at lower rates and fix the rate of Corona testing and treatment. The Committee will submit its report by tomorrow.
- Government to issue fresh guidelines regarding the last rites of the deceased, which will reduce the waiting time.
- Government to enroll the services of Scouts & Guides, NCC, NSS and other voluntary organizations as volunteers, with Health Services. Central Government has decided to depute five more Senior Officers to the Delhi Government in order to effectively fight the Coronavirus.
- A joint team of doctors of the Health Departments of Government of India and Delhi Government, AIIMS and all three Municipal Corporations of Delhi will visit all Corona Hospitals in Delhi and submit a report after inspecting the Health Infrastructure and preparedness for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
- Centre to provide Delhi government all necessary resources including Oxygen cylinders, Ventilators and Pulse Oximeters.
Ahead of the meeting, the Delhi government had declared plans to add 20,000 beds across hotels, banquet halls and nursing homes of the city over the coming week to cope with the spiraling coronavirus cases; and to convert small and medium multispeciality nursing homes having 10 to 49 beds to ” covid nursing homes” wbich could augment capacity by 5000 beds. Hotels and banquet halls were to add 11000 and 4000 beds respectively. Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had earlier said that going by the current doubling rate in the city, 5.5 lakh cases and over 80000 hospital beds were expected by the end of July for which Delhi was not adequately prepared for.
(with inputs from Sakshi Patwal)
[the_ad_placement id=”sidebar-feed”]
