Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 28
In the midst of an evolving COVID-19 situation in India, governmental response in the states has become a great concern.
In Nagaland, the initial sense of assurance projected by the state government in February has today turned to worry as frontline health workers compelled to attend to the call of duty without adequate personal safety gear cry out in frustration.
The worry, further compounding as reports emerge of Nagaland-bound consignments of protective gear held up in transit as a result of the nationwide lockdown.
While the government certainly took steps, the question is how swiftly decisions were taken to acquire the requisite equipments?
As per information gathered by The Morung Express from various sources, the state placed the order for basic emergency requirements and first line essential medicines as early as the first week of February. That was not long after India’s first COVID-19 cases were reported in Kerala.
It consisted of around 800-900 PPE sets or suits and vials for collecting and transporting swab samples.
However, the orders that followed came only in March and by which time emergency equipment supplies were running short across India. Order for thermal scanners, alcohol hand rubs or sanitizers, more PPEs and other necessary items only came in the subsequent purchase orders.
Further, in the face of soaring demand and early birds acquiring thermal sensors/scanners, Nagaland could acquire only 10 such scanners. As revealed by the sources, the original requirement was 24.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister announced the nationwide lockdown on March 24, stranding emergency equipments destined for Nagaland in various stages of transit; some in as far away as Mumbai. Shutdown of couriers made it worse.
Late on March 27 evening, The Morung Express received inputs of the first batch of the stranded equipments reaching Nagaland. It mostly consisted of PPEs.
While department officials were reluctant to admit of the development initially, one official confirmed it in the afternoon today. It was not long before the Chief Minister made the announcement in the evening on March 28.
