The nation’s heart Delhi, has began getting ready for the next Covid-19 wave, ramping up medical oxygen provides and transport, hiring well being care staff, and augmenting infrastructure.
“If the third wave (fifth for Delhi) of the coronavirus emerges, we have to be prepared in advance to fight it… The problems that emerged during the second wave should not be faced by the people of Delhi again… Those problems are now being resolved. Teams have been formed to ensure an adequate number of beds and better management of oxygen, and essential medicines,” CM Arvind Kejriwal mentioned final week. Delhi well being Minister Satyendar Jain mentioned the federal government was implementing plans to ramp up beds, opening up makeshift centres, and including infrastructure within the hospitals.
“Since the second wave began, Delhi government has been working to upgrade and enhance its medical infrastructure. Though cases have dipped, we continue to build infrastructure in preparation of a third wave. While we are working hard on vaccinating everyone in Delhi, the severe shortage of vaccinations in the country means that we have to be prepared for another wave before everyone gets vaccinated,” mentioned Jain.
Government orders on Thursday mentioned prime precedence is to be given to medical oxygen and establishing robust supply-chain administration of all important objects. During the height of infections, the town wanted 700 MT of oxygen on common each day however usually suffered vital shortages.
On May 15, the NCPCR wrote to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan pointing out an urgent need for changes in the country’s medical infrastructure. “The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is impacting several children and adolescents as India grapples with escalating virus cases in the second wave of this pandemic situation. Doctors have confirmed that even newborns and infants are testing Covid-19 positive, though their condition remains under control and rarely turns fatal. Further, a third wave of Covid-19 is projected to hit the country and according to experts, it may affect children in large numbers. There are guidelines on the management of the new born in a maternity ward and in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), but there is an urgent need to reorganize a Neonatal/children Emergency Transport Service (NETS) to prepare specifically for neonatal [cases] and children for third wave of Covid-19,” said the letter to Bhushan, adding that “necessary directions for emergency transport services/ambulances suitable for children and neonatal” be issued by the Centre.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said that from the commission’s own past experience, they have felt a need to verify medical equipment and machinery in neonatal and paediatric hospitals and wards in the country.
“In 2019, the Commission investigated the deaths of 100 children in Kota’s JK Lon Mother and Child Hospital in December in Rajasthan. What we found was that a lot of the equipment and machinery at the hospital were not functioning. Very often, across states, this is the case. Annual maintenance contracts are not renewed by hospitals, and equipment lies in disrepair. Very often, these hospitals also do not have enough trained paramedical staff that can operate the machinery. These things, if rectified, can save the lives of a large number of children,” said Kanoongo.
In its letter to states on Thursday, NCPCR directed them to furnish details of the total number of Sick new-born Care Units, paediatric intensive care units and neonatal intensive care units in each district, the number of beds and incubators in each of these units, the total number of functional beds and incubators, number of dedicated beds for high dependency care, number of resident paediatricians, on call paediatricians, nurses, paramedical staff and support staff.
The NCPCR has further asked states to furnish details of medical equipment including Radiant warmers, basinets, Phototherapy, Irradiance meter, Self-inflating reservoir bag, Laryngoscope, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, pulse oximeters, ECG units, transport incubators, Bilirubinometer, Nebulizer (Electric) etc. The states are to submit this information to the Commission within a week.
A third letter has been sent to ICMR director general Balram Bhargava asking him to share protocols and guidelines developed by ICMR for treatment and clinical management of children with Covid-19.
“This is so that we can begin an awareness campaign as soon as possible. If there are additional guidelines specific to the treatment of children suffering from Covid that the ICMR has drawn up, or will draw up, we want to be able to disseminate this as well – not just to medical practitioners but also to parents, so that they have information, such as when to take a child to the hospital and what kind of treatment needs to be done at home. Our aim is to monitor all infrastructure and make sure that we are ready for the third wave by July this year, so that children can be saved,” says Kanoongo.
