A three-member Central team, which is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad to review the Covid-19 management in Telangana, asked the state government to step up testing for coronavirus and also made a presentation on the ‘Delhi model’ as an example in containing the virus spread.
Telangana has been reporting a steep rise in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the last few days. Till Monday, the total number of positive cases in the state has crossed 80,000 with the 1,256 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has also reported 637 deaths so far.
The central team, led by NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, held several rounds of discussions with the state government officials, including chief secretary Somesh Kumar.
On Monday, the team, which also consists of senior officials from the Union ministry of health, had a detailed discussion with state health minister Eatala Rajender. The team felt that an increase in testing is crucial to control the pandemic.
“The state and central governments would work together on an action plan discussed in the meeting to flatten the curve,” Dr Paul said after the meeting.
The Central team made a presentation on the ‘Delhi model’ to highlight the steps taken towards effective containment.
{{/usCountry}}The Central team made a presentation on the ‘Delhi model’ to highlight the steps taken towards effective containment.
{{/usCountry}}The chief secretary explained to the Central team that testing had been ramped up in the state in the recent days. “Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, during the recent cabinet meeting, directed the officials to increase the testing to 40,000 daily and allotted special funds to handle the Covid pandemic in the state,” he said.
The team was all praise for the state government for introducing an innovative mobile application – Home Isolation Telemedicine and Management (HITAM), through which the health of the Covid-19 patients under home isolation is being monitored.
“The doctors have been extending telemedicine facility to the patients in home quarantine through HITAM application. The health department is being assisted by a team of senior officers for support on key thematic areas of pandemic management,” the chief secretary said.
Paul said that details of the HITAM app would be shared with other states along with all good work done by the state in other areas related to Covid management. He said that Hospital preparedness levels, infection control measures, providing treatment for patients etc were very satisfactory.
The health minister said that the state government was working in close coordination with the central government to control the spread of the virus. The team expressed satisfaction on testing and treatment protocol in the state. The members gave suggestions on prevention of virus in rural areas, an official release by the health department said.