A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners, the Union Health Ministry has written to States and Union Territories listing the best practices used by them while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic including -- Tamil Nadu's taxi ambulance, Mobile OPD in Rajasthan, along with 12 other initiatives.
In a letter to states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners of worst-affected States/UTs on May 18 and May 20 regarding public health response to COVID-19 management, and said, "The coordinated and dedicated efforts put in by the States and Districts through local innovations, to manage the pandemic and associated challenges are appreciable."
Here are some of the innovations and best practices shared by the districts with the Prime Minister:
Establishment and operation of Isolation Centres and Covid Care Centres with the active cooperation of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Gautam Budh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh.
Community engagement at Mohalla level, Village, Block, and District level by involving elected representatives and losing candidates of the last election, in promoting prompt isolation and containment measures in Madhya Pradesh.
Work Site Covid Vaccination Centres and Drive Through Covid Vaccination Centres in Gurugram, Haryana.
Digital Portal for real-time tracking bed occupancy, oxygen consumption in all 102 hospitals as well as the availability of Ambulances in Gurugram, Haryana.
Effective use of Kashi Covid Response Centre (KCRC) to provide a one-stop solution for all Covid related queries of common citizens in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Use of Taxi Ambulances in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Utilisation of Ayush medicines and Ayush Health Facilities for Covid management in the UT of Chandigarh.
Distribution of Ayush Kadha in Haat Bazaars of District Janjgir Champa, Chhattisgarh.
Tiffin Box service at all Covid Care Centres with the help of community engagement in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
Mobile OPD at Block Level to provide non-Covid essential services to villages and provision of “Oxygen Mitra" in each hospital to check oxygen wastage in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Door-to-Door testing using both RAT and RT-PCR in rural areas which brought down the positivity from 38% to 2.8% in a period of one month in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Use of “HIT Covid" App to track and monitor home isolated Covid patients in Patna, Bihar.
Use of “Oxygen Nurses" to ensure rational use of Oxygen in hospitals in Kerala.
Use of geographically distributed Oxygen buffer stock manned by senior officers in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
