Central team finds flaws in Mohali admn’s Covid management

The report highlighted unsatisfactory contact tracing, wherein only addresses are asked and there is no real intent to trace the infection trail and even containment zones remain just on paper

The three-member team from the Centre that was in Mohali district to assess the Covid-19 situation has highlighted multiple flaws on the part of the administration in handling the pandemic.

Police restricting entry to Dhakoli, which was declared a containment zone by the Mohali administration. (Sant Arora/HT)

In the past six weeks, the district has reported around 12,500 Covid-19 cases and over 100 deaths. Around 70% cases have surfaced in Mohali city, and Dhakoli in Zirakpur accounts for 1,200 cases in April alone.

While the district administration has failed to announce any curbs in Mohali city, sources said Dhakoli, with a population of around one lakh, was declared a containment zone late on Monday only after objections raised by the central team.

The team, which was in the district for five days and submitted its report to Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan on Tuesday, said there is no government facility for critical patients requiring ventilators. The health department has done nothing to recruit manpower or purchase equipment to develop such a facility and all critical patients are being sent to Patiala, it said.

The report also highlighted unsatisfactory contact tracing due to manpower crunch. Only addresses are asked and there is no real intent to trace the infection trail, it stated, adding that even containment zones are just on paper and there is nothing being done on the ground to contain the infection spread.

The team, comprising two doctors, both named Naveen Kumar, and IAS officer VK Singh, also noted that there is poor coordination between Mohali and Chandigarh administrations regarding Covid-19 patients.

The deputy commissioner said the administration has replied to various issues raised by the team. As far as the facility for critical patients is concerned, the civil hospital in Mohali is undergoing construction and the district has been mapped with Patiala for referrals of such cases. We have also directed private hospitals in the district to stop elective procedures to increase the bed capacity for Covid care.

On the lack of coordination with Chandigarh, he said: “We have taken up the matter with the Prime Minister, urging him to ensure that all government hospitals in Chandigarh admit critical patients from Mohali, but a reply is awaited.” On contact tracing, Dayalan said Mohali is tracing the highest number contacts in the state, ie 20 per Covid positive patient.