Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 2
With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing rapidly in the last few days, the Nagaland government has deputed officers drawn from various departments as “immediate steps” for the effective management of the situation in the State.
The officers – some currently deputed in State’s the COVID-19 War Room or others drawn from other departments will do planning, monitoring, management and supervision of various tasks
An order issued by State Chief Secretary J Alam on May 1 to be “effective immediately” informed that the specific tasks included ensuring adequate availability of - medical oxygen at all health care establishments and ICU beds, Oxygen supported Beds and Covid Care Centre beds; ensuring effective quarantine and home isolation; adequate availability of essential drugs; providing tele-consultation; and overseeing quality of clinical management of cases; testing and surveillance.
Among others, a team comprising of Manoj Kumar, SP (Crime); Sachin Jaiswal, Jt Secretary, Agriculture; Thejanggulie Zao, Officers In Charge of Projects and Equipment, NSDMA; and two nodal officers from Health and Family Welfare – Dr Neisekho Kere (Jt Director) and Dr Manyau Phom (Dy Director) will be responsible for ensuring adequate availability of medical oxygen.
The team would estimate oxygen requirement for each district, hospital wise and ensure smooth management of supply chain for oxygen cylinders available with the department and reallocating the same among districts as per demands, the order said.
The team was also tasked to ensure early installation, smooth operations, and utilization of the optimum PSA plants to the district hospitals in the State.
Besides, identification of external sources of medical oxygen including liquid oxygen from industries in and out of the State for emergency requirements as well as any other matter related to oxygen supply in the State is also the onus of the team.
Meanwhile, the team on adequate availability of beds included Shanavas C, Principal Director, School Education; Ajit Ranjan, Jt Secretary, H&FW; Johnny Ruangmei, OSD NSDMA; Dr Sedevi Angami, Director CIHSR; Er Yanger Longkumar, Program Office IT&C and two nodal officers from H&FW, Dr Tiasunep Pongener, Jt Director and Dr Chekroshuyi Tetseo, Jt Director.
Among others, the team would estimate availability of ICU Beds, Oxygen supported Beds and CCC Beds and communicate the estimation to DTFs and monitor the arrangement of beds, in the private and government hospitals, as per the requirements.
It is also tasked to arrange additional beds through private or government hospitals and to assess, quantify and procure/hire additional logistic requirement for expansion of ICU and Oxygen Supported Beds.
The team will also obtain and provide data on the dashboard and publicise availability of beds, category wise and facility wise for each district, and share the information.
Assessment, quantification, procurement and distribution of essential drugs by H&FW was tasked to another team comprising of Dr Keneiteiso Sorhie, Jt. Director, H&FW and Kezeneilhou Mhasi, Assistant Program Officer, IT&C and others.
The team has to ensure supply chain management including transportation and give daily updates on the availability of the essential drugs District/ facility wise on the dashboard, the order said.
Dr Ritu Thurr, Jt. Director, H&FW and G Razoukhrielie Rio, Dy Director, H&FW were also entrusted to ensure daily updates on the status of testing data and stock position on the dashboard as well as assessment and quantification of doses.
The respective team of officers will be fully assisted by the officers of Department of Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) and other departments as indicated, the order said.
The Principal Director, H&FW, shall be overall Supervisor to the Officers of the H&FW department.
The teams of officers assigned with a specific responsibility will identify metrics for monitoring their assigned tasks, which shall be available on a daily or regular basis, as appropriate, to the COVID-19 War Room, it added.
