Gurugram DC, CMO take stock of Covid-19 preparedness

The drill was intended to check the level of preparedness of the hospital, in terms of equipment, procedures and manpower. The district administration has asked the public to be careful and take all precautionary measures to check Covid-19

Gurugram deputy commissioner and chief medical officer (CMO) carried out a Covid-19 drill in light of the increased caution over the virus at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10 on Tuesday.

Gurugram, India-December 27, 2022: Nishant Kumar Yadav, DC, and Dr. Virender Yadav, CMO during the mock drill to take stock of preparations for Covid-19 in Civil hospital at Sector-10 near Government College, in Gurugram, India, on Tuesday, 27 December 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Leena Dhankar's story)

The drill was intended to check the level of preparedness of the hospital, in terms of equipment, procedures and manpower. The district administration has asked the public to be careful and take all precautionary measures to check Covid-19.

Deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav and civil surgeon Dr Virendra Yadav, conducted the drill at the Civil Hospital and discussed precautions to be taken when a Covid-19 patient comes to the hospital and the process of treatment.

DC Yadav also took stock of the facilities available for treatment at private hospitals under an advisory issued by the Central government to conduct drills in states and Union territories.

The DC also inspected the emergency ward, ICU and PSA plant (pressure swing adsorption) at the Civil Hospital.

Yadav said that the Union ministry of health and family welfare has been issuing continuous guidelines and advisories for the last four days regarding the rising Covid-19 cases and new variants across the world. “At present, there are only 16 active cases in Gurugram. The positivity rate in the district is also less than 1%,” he said.

The Union government has already made arrangements for testing fliers coming from Covid-affected countries at the airports. They are being allowed to go to their respective destinations only after being screened.

DC Yadav said that Gurugram district administration is keeping a close watch on the developments. He urged residents not to ignore the booster dose. “All residents of the district must take the booster dose of the vaccination at the earliest,” he said.

The DC informed that the total number of beds in government and private hospitals in Gurugram is close to 6,000. “If it is required to make a dedicated ward for Covid-19 patients, the district administration is more than ready”, he added.

Yadav said that the situation is under control in the district and there is no reason to panic. “This is not the time to panic but to stay alert and careful. Everyone has to strictly follow all Covid protocol. Residents must always wear face masks in crowded public places such as hospitals, buses, railway stations and markets”, he added.

CMO Dr Yadav said that as a norm, Tuesday’s Covid-19 drill assessed the bed availability, manpower, referral resources, testing capacity, medical logistics, telemedicine services and medical oxygen availability, among other things.

“As was done during the pandemic, real-time data on the availability of beds, oxygen cylinders and ventilators will be available to the public on the health department portal,” the CMO said.

Dr Yadav said that a major part of the drill was to ensure that the PSA plant is up to the mark. “The PSA plant has an atmospheric oxygen compressor, mostly with nitrogen and oxygen,” he added.