The Health Minister of Gujarat, Rishikesh Patel, took part in a mock drill at the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital to prepare for potential COVID-19 situations. During the drill, the Minister personally inspected all facilities, including oxygen plants, ventilators, bed availability, and medicine quantities. Any errors identified during the two-day mock drill will be immediately rectified. The drill will involve verifying arrangements at 9,231 sub-health centers, 1,475 primary health centers, 365 community health centers, government civil hospitals, and private hospitals across the state.
The state has more than 1,03,000 beds available in government and private hospitals, with about 15,000 ICU beds and roughly 9,700 ventilator beds. There are also 10,899 oxygen concentrator machines and 476 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants functioning in the state, serving patients. The state has 111 government and 96 private laboratories operating for COVID-19 testing, with a daily total testing capacity of 175,000.
The mock drill was conducted under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. The drill aimed to test the state’s preparedness against the virus, and the Health Minister made some necessary suggestions to officials following his visit. The drills will be held in civil and private hospitals across the state, as well as in rural health centers, for two days.
The state health department has been instructed to take immediate action to rectify any errors identified during the mock drill. The two-day drill will be held in over 10,000 health centers and hospitals across the state. The state government has developed Gujarat Epidemic Response Management Information System (GERMIS) software for close monitoring of COVID-19 cases.
Overall, the state has taken several measures to control the spread of the virus, and citizens need not be afraid of the situation regarding the treatment of COVID-19. However, everyone must remain careful and alert, given the increasing number of COVID-19 cases globally.
