Meghnagar (Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh): The tribal predominant Jhabua district depends on neighbouring Gujarat state for most of its health care facilities. However, its people are finding it tough to get beds in hospitals even in Gujarat.
On Wednesday, 42 people were found corona positive taking to over 255 positive cases. In last fortnight, 1,352 patients were infected by Covid-19 in Jhabua district. The district administration has converted a hostel near airstrip into a Covid Care Centre with 100 beds for Covid patients on the directions of the government.
Isolation wards with 10 beds each have been set up in all the community health centres and civil hospitals. The general ward of Meghnagar Community Health Centre has been set up as isolation ward for Covid patients.
In Meghangar tehsil, there are 61 gram panchayats and more than 110 villages. But only three oxygen cylinders are available at community health centre.
The district hospital too doesn’t have enough equipment and resources to fight the pandemic. There are 10 ICU beds in the district, 30 oxygen beds and 30 general beds. More than half of these beds are occupied.
Covid care centres have been set up in the civil hospital in Thandla and Petlawad but they don’t have enough oxygen cylinders. The private and government hospitals of the district have less than six ventilators.
Repeat tests are not conducted in the government hospitals of Meghnagar and in the district and people are forced to spend thousands in getting the tests done in private hospitals in the district and in Gujarat.
Minister incharge Hardeep Singh Dang held a meeting of disaster management committee on Thursday and it was decided to observe a lockdown for 10 days from April 16. Dang asked people to get vaccinated especially in rural areas.
Due to lack of education, tribals avoid staying at home and move freely, infecting others. They avoid home isolation till their report comes positive.
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