‘We’ve applied for permission to administer RT-PCR tests in Gurugram’

Dr Asruddin, director, health services (training), who has been deputed from Chandigarh by the state government to monitor the Covid-19 situation in Gurugram and

Dr Asruddin, director, health services (training), who has been deputed from Chandigarh by the state government to monitor the Covid-19 situation in Gurugram and Faridabad for a week, speaks to Archana Mishra about issues such as addressing gaps in administrative work, strengthening health facilities and limiting the time gap between sampling and testing to tackle the surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the city.

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Q. What is the aim of your visit? Is there a specific aspect related to Covid-19 that you are focusing on?

The purpose of my visit is to streamline the functioning of the health department and the Civil Hospital and supervise the overall strategy to tackle the Covid-19 situation in the city. After observing the team’s procedures, I will try to address gaps, such as the lack of coordination between different teams—sometimes there is a duplicity in assigned roles—and issues related to the Civil Hospital, to deliver better output with time.

Q. What challenges are you facing in addressing these issues?

There is a sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city. Therefore, immediate contact tracing of the patients and their isolation is crucial. For this, the existing health facilities need to be strengthened. Several people who have been tested, or their family members, often want to meet the chief medical officer himself, which is not possible. So, we have to let people know exactly whom to contact for their needs and queries. For the referral of ambulances, we will launch 16 telephone lines with the help of the district administration and constitute teams to work in three shifts. Also, 20 more ambulances from private hospitals will be roped in to reduce the response time after a person tests positive. To overcome the time difference between sample collection and testing, we will start to administer RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests in Gurugram itself. We have applied to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for permission. Meanwhile, we have installed 95% of the requisite machines at Civil Hospital and sent lab technicians to PGIMS Rohtak for training. This way, we will be able to do 192 tests in 10-12 hours.

Q. How will assigning duties to senior officials from different government agencies aid in addressing some of these issues?

The health team deployed on the ground will continue surveilling patients and tracing their contacts. We will assign duties to senior officials to streamline work, take quick action and check data reports to avoid anomalies. The team will ensure that negative Covid-19 reports are immediately sent to the patients while those who test positive are first approached by a local health team, which can then suggest home isolation or hospitalisation based on the severity of the symptoms.

Q. Why do you think there has been a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the last week?

Most of these cases have been reported in the congested areas of the city. Also, there is a spillover of infection from Delhi.