Srinagar, Mar 23: Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to convert 11 major hospitals into COVID-19 sanatorium to treat the suspected patients away from the public gaze.
An official spokesman said the government has decided to convert SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, CD Hospital Srinagar, JLNM Hospital, Srinagar and Police Hospital, Srinagar entirely for isolation purposes.
The newly constructed IPD blocks in the District Hospitals of Ganderbal, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kupwara will also be used for stepping up isolation beds, the spokesman said.
The government has also decided to convert Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar including newly constructed 200 Bedded Block into COVID-19 hospital.
It has also been decided that GB pant hospital, Satwari, Jammu will be made functional for isolation facilities. Further, Psychiatric Hospital Jammu will also be converted into an isolation ward. However, the patients of Psychiatric Hospital shall be shifted to CD Hospital, Jammu.
The decision was taken in a review meeting which was chaired by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department Atul Dulloo.
“The government has decided to close routine activities in identified hospitals and converting others into isolation and quarantine facilities to face any eventuality”, the spokesman said.
The government has also decided to utilize the services of NHM/ISM doctors and Mid-level health providers (MLPs) from Health and Wellness Centre to augment the manpower on the ground.
“The meeting also decided that the walk-in-interview for the medical officers by the National Health Mission should be expedited on an urgent basis”, he said.
The chair directed the officials to mobilize the human resource and the necessary equipments in order to make these isolation facilities fully functional and also directed that a duty roster of specialists and doctors shall be prepared for the effective functioning of the isolation facilities. He further said that medical officers will be trained on urgent basis for the management of ventilators, besides training for nurses and paramedics for handling the people presumed to be COVID-19.
The officers were also directed to take all measures to mobilize the paramedical staff and keep a reserve pool of medical officers and para-medical staff to face any eventuality.
The directions have also been passed to the hospital authorities to suspend all non-essential and elective surgeries and redeployment of doctors, specialists and para-medical staff will be carried out from the peripheries in case the need arises.
The government has also said that the services of NHM/ISM doctors and Mid-level health providers (MLPs) from Health and Wellness Centre will also be utilised.
The meeting also decided that the walk in interview for the medical officers by the National Health Mission should be expedited on an urgent basis.
The meeting was attended by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma; Mission Director National Health Mission, J&K, Bhupinder Kumar; Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Renu Sharma; Principal Government Medical College, Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina; Director New Medical Colleges, Dr Yashpal Sharma; Joint Director Planning H&ME, Madan Lal and other concerned.
Concerned officials from Kashmir division participated in the meeting via video conferencing.
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