CM Jagan asks AP Private Hospitals to Reserve 50pc Beds For Arogyasri Patients

Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has discussed with district collectors and SPs about the Covid situation and a wide range of other issues during the Spandana video conference, here on Wednesday.

Interacting with the officials the Chief Minister said that the number of cases has been decreasing from the past few days, which is a good sign, and congratulated the entire staff that is offering services in fighting against Covid-19. He said that the State has no tier-1 cities that offer advanced treatments, super-specialty hospitals, and better medical infrastructure facilities, but still with the extensive hard work by the doctors, nurses, Asha workers, volunteers, sanitation staff, and all the frontline workers, the State is able to fight with the pandemic. He told the officials to focus on those areas, especially Chittoor, East and West Godavari districts where most cases are getting registered and take measures to control the spread.

Aarogyasri

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had directed the officials to ensure 50 percent of the beds in private hospitals are given to the Aarogyasri patients strictly following the government pricing for the treatments. So far under Aarogyasri, nearly 28,737 people which is over 70 percent of the total cases are being treated. He instructed the authorities to make sure that all the hospitals are strictly following the rules and regulations put by the State government, besides the effective functioning of CCTVs and Aarogya Mitras. Also, he told the officials to take action against those hospitals within 24 hours after conducting raids, else directly report to the Chief Minister. Collectors should take action against those who violate the rules without resorting to any wrongdoings, as it is the time to do more service in these pandemic conditions and it would be a mistake not to take action against them, said the Chief Minister and added that penalties should be imposed for making a mistake for the first time if repeated cases should be filed.

Black-Fungus

The Chief Minister stated that the Injections for black fungus have become very rare, where the entire country has been facing a shortage, as each patient should be given at least 50 injections per week. But the State received only 3,000 injections from the Centre and another 2,000 injections will be sent soon. He said that the government has been putting pressure on the central government to get as many injections as possible.

Vaccination

As of date, 23,69,164 people have been vaccinated with two doses, while 33,11,697 people have received a single dose of vaccine. The Chief Minister stated that the vaccine production in the country is very low, where the entire country needs 172 crore doses and the State requires seven crore doses. He said that the distribution of vaccines is centrally controlled and primarily focusing on vaccinating all those above 45 years, as the risk factor is high among them.

Better services in State

The Chief Minister said that the government is giving Remdesivir Injections to both Government and Private Hospitals, where almost 50,000 injections a week are being given to government hospitals, and about 60,000 were sent to private hospitals, ensuring no shortage. He said that strict action should be taken on those selling these medicines on the black market, as it is a heinous crime to trade life-saving drugs.

104 Call Centre

He said District Collectors should own104 call center and ensure effective functioning of these centers and respond as if our own people are calling to the toll-free. He said that officials and the government will be held responsible if not responded properly to the calls. 104 number should be registered in the minds of people as a one-stop solution for all issues related to COVID. Calls to the toll-free were decreased from 19,000 calls to 7,000 calls, as a sign that the number of positive cases has been declining. He directed the officials to focus on arranging oxygen and other medical facilities for beds at temporary German hangars.

Oxygen Supply

The Chief Minister appreciated the officials for showing efficiency and progress in oxygen supply to the State, which was increased to over 600 tonnes from an earlier supply of 330 tonnes. As of now, the State had kept enough oxygen to last two days even during the cyclone. He directed the authorities to focus on auditing on the usage of oxygen, supply, and stocks and correct if any lapses exist. He told the authorities to ensure that oxygen reserves are maintained in each hospital to avoid accidents.

Curfew

The Chief Minister said that the government had already imposed a curfew, permitting people to do their chores from 6 am to 12 noon. He also directed officials to ensure a strict curfew is imposed right afternoon. He urged people to take precautionary measures by wearing masks, staying indoors, and maintaining social distance.

Deputy Chief Minister Alla Krishna Srinivas, Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana,  DGP Goutam Sawang, Chief Commissioner Land Administration Neerab Kumar Prasad, Agriculture Special Chief Secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, Covid command control chairman Dr. KS Jawahar Reddy, Municipal Administration Special Chief Secretary Y Srilakshmi, Panchayat Raj Commissioner Girija Shankar, Health Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singhal, Women, and Child Welfare Principal Secretary Anuradha and other officials were present.