E-Paper
Amid spike in Kangra, plan to make ayurvedic college, private hospitals Covid treatment facilities
With 6,190 infections in the district so far, Kangra is at third position in terms of the number of cases, after Shimla and Mandi. At present, there are 1,370 active cases in the district.
With Kangra seeing a spike in Covid-19 infections, the district authorities are considering taking over the Dr Rajiv Gandhi Government Post Graduate Ayurvedic College at Paprola and some private hospitals to create Covid treatment facilities if the situation gets worse.
With 6,190 infections recorded in the district till date, Kangra is at third position in terms of the number of cases after Shimla and Mandi. At present, there are 1,370 active cases in the district.
“If the situation worsens, we are considering to take over the Paprola college building and some private hospitals to create additional Covid treatment facilities for patients needing intensive care,” said Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati.
He said that Kangra has facility to treat 150 severe Covid-19 patients, including 100 at the Zonal Hospital in Dharamshala and 50 at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda.
An additional facility with the capacity of treating 66 patients is coming up at Tanda, he said, adding the takeover will happen if infections continue to rise.
The district administration has also directed all private hospitals and practising doctors and chemists to report details of patients having influenza like illness symptoms treated by them on a daily basis.
An order to the effect was issued on Tuesday under Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act.
The district drug controller has been made the nodal officer and will ensure proper reporting and inform the chief medical officer and District Disaster Management Authority through e-mail.
Any obstruction, resistance or refusal by any officer, official or any other person to comply with the directions shall render them liable to prosecution.
Since November 1, Kangra’s Covid-19 tally has swelled by 3,109 infections, taking it to 6,190 from 3,081, a rise of over 100%. About 800 cases have been added to the tally this month. For the past week, the district is seeing about 100 new infections daily.
Besides, 150 people have died of the contagion in Kangra and the district has the highest death rate of 2.4% in the state.
