Centre asks states & UTs to hold mock drill of all health facilities on December 27

The Centre on Saturday has asked the states and UTs to hold mock drill at all health facilities, including identified COVID-19 dedicated health facilities, on December 27 to ensure operational readiness to meet any exigencies. The union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in a letter to the states and UTs, have said that preparedness of COVID-19 health facilities is crucial to ensure that states/districts are in a state of readiness to meet increase in clinical care needs due to any spurt in cases.

‘’The mock drill may be done under the overall guidance of respective district collectors/district magistrates in close consultation with offices of the health department. It is expected the District Surveillance Officer working in coordination with chief medical officers shall upload facility wise data for all districts positively by evening of December 27,’’ said Bhushan.

States and UTs have been told to focus on geographical representative availability of health facilities covering districts and bed capacities including isolation beds, oxygen supported isolation beds, ICU beds and ventilator supported beds. Further, they will have to focus on optimal availability of human resources including doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH doctors, other front line workers including ASHAs and Anganwadi workers. In addition, they will have to keep an eye on Human Resource capacity including healthcare professionals trained on COVID 19 management and in ventilatory management protocol for servers cases while healthcare workers are trained in operation of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants.

The states and UTs will have to focus on referral services including availability of advanced and basic life support ambulances and other ambulances and also availability of a functional ambulance call Center.

As far as testing facilities are concerned, states and UTs will have to focus on operationalisation and maintenance of COVID testing laboratories, availability of RT-PCR and RAT kits, testing equipment and reagents. They will have to ensure the availability of essential drugs, ventilators, BIPAP, SPO2 systems, PPE kids and N-95 masks. They will also have to see the availability of medical oxygen and telemedicine services.