Karnataka health infrastructure ramped up significantly to fight COVID-19: Health Minister
Bengaluru: Defending the Karnataka government over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, health minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said health infrastructure in the state has been ramped up significantly to control the pandemic, despite the revenue crunch.
Capacity to test 1.5-2 lakh samples per day, availability of 1,015 Metric Tonnes of oxygen and more than 22,000 oxygen beds, supply of Remdesivir as per requirement are among various measures initiated by the state government, the Minister's office said in a release.
The Departments of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education have worked in synergy towards improving health infrastructure in Karnataka, it said, claiming that this has helped the state mitigate the impact of the second wave and provide timely treatment to the patients.
"Significant transformation in health infrastructure has been achieved during this pandemic.
Despite the revenue crunch, all available resources have been utilized to enhance health infrastructure.
This will help in creating 'Arogya Karnataka' in the coming days," Sudhakar was quoted as saying.
The minister's statement comes amid growing criticism of the government on its handling of the COVID crisis, especially during the second wave, from several quarters, including the opposition parties, pointing at issues relating to lack of beds, oxygen, crucial drugs and also vaccination,among others.
Towards the end of February, about 60,000-70,000 cases were being tested per day, the release said, adding this number has been ramped up to more than 1,00,000 daily.
So far, 2.85 crore samples have been tested in the state, out of which 2.38 crore were the RT-PCR method.
It pointed out that more than 80 per cent of the tests in Karnataka are RT-PCR tests, which was above the 70 per cent suggested by the Centre to states.
As many as 241 (Government: 91; Private: 150) RT-PCR labs are functional in Karnataka and swab collection centres have been set up at all levels or for every 50,000 population.
Over the past one year, the health department has ramped oxygenated beds from 1,970 to 22,001 , ICU beds from 444 to 701 and beds with ventilators from 610 to 1,548.
Also 1,248 HFNC (High-flow Nasal Cannula) beds have been set up, it said, adding facilities have been extended upto Taluk and CHC levels.
The Department of Medical Education in March 2020 had only 4700 oxygenated beds, 341 ventilators, 15 HFNO (high-flow nasal oxygen) and 151 kiloliters capacity of Liquid Medical Oxygen.
An 4705 oxygenated beds, 305 ventilators, 555 HFNC, 73 KL of LMO have been created, he said.
Claiming that Karnataka has sufficient medical oxygen supply to treat Covid patients, Sudhakar said the state's oxygen production capacity is 815 Metric Tonnes and the Centre has allocated 1015 MT.
Regarding vaccination, it said the government was working on a comprehensive plan to ensure that every citizen in the state gets the shots by November-December.
As on May 22, 1,20,14,015 doses have been administered in the state.
In addition to 1,13,26,340 doses supplied by the centre, the state has already received 14,94,170 doses following orders placed by it, the statement said.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
