Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for tackling the COVID-19 situation in India by saying that the PM imposed lockdown on time & took the step to create public awareness.
At a press conference today, Mr Mandaviya while addressing media said, priority was to boost morale of health workers and frontline workers.
Speaking on the utensil-clanging & clapping - an appeal made by PM Modi when COVID was at its peak in India, Mandaviya said that it was done to motivate health workers risking their lives.
"During the first and second waves of COVID, none of our doctors left their work, they worked continuously, many of them lost their lives but they continued serving the country." the health minister added.
"PM imposed lockdown on time & took the step to create public awareness. Priority was to boost morale of health workers & frontline workers. I had said on Floor of the House that utensil-clanging & clapping was done to motivate health workers risking their lives," Mansukh Mandaviya was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Speaking about his recent visit at Vaccine Global Alliance meeting in Geneva, Mandaviya said, "The world saw India's COVID management, India's vaccination drive. It is amazed at how 2.5 crore vaccine doses were administered in a day, it is not a small deal."
Today, the union minister also chaired a review meeting regarding the new Coronavirus strain- 'XE variant' and directed the officials to boost the ongoing monitoring and surveillance in the country.
The Minister, in one of his recent tweets, informed that he had a meeting with the country's top experts regarding the new 'XE Variant' of Covid-19, where he reviewed the Covid cases and gave necessary instructions for strengthening the ongoing monitoring and surveillance system to study the new variants and related cases.
According to a statement by the Ministry, Mandaviya has instructed officials on the medical infrastructure and resources front to constantly review the availability of essential drugs and medicines required for Covid treatment.
"He further emphasized that the ongoing vaccination drive must be carried out at full pace and all eligible should be vaccinated," it read.
The review meeting was attended by key experts and officials of the country, including, Dr V.K. Paul, member, Health, NITI Aayog; Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary; Dr Randeep Guleria, Director at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS); Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General (DG) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Dr NK Arora, Chairman of COVID-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), and other senior officials of the Health Ministry.
