Deploy field hospitals: Centre to states as daily cases at 87-day high

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

As daily Covid-19 cases touched an 87-day high of 22,775 on Saturday amid Omicron spread, the Health Ministry asked states to start deploying field hospitals, hire hotel rooms to offset patient load and evolve transparent online mechanisms to communicate the availability of ambulances and beds to citizens.

Admitting to the potential of a third wave as Omicron cases surged to 1,431 today and active cases went past one lakh, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to chief secretaries of states and administrators of UTs said each day was now critical to strengthen the national efforts for curbing infection spread.

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“In context of the spread of Omicron, the world is reporting the highest-ever surge in Covid-19 cases. In India also the case trajectory is showcasing an upward trend with 16,764 cases on December 31, 2021, the highest in 70 days. Many developed nations in Europe and the US are reporting a significant rise in new cases over the past few weeks, indicating high transmissibility of the virus,” he said.

“It is important to ensure timely and swift upgrade of health infrastructure across states and UTs. This becomes all the more important since with a sudden increase in cases we may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure,” Bhushan added.

The ministry asked states and UTs to initiate the creation of field and makeshift hospitals to address a potential surge in cases and engage the DRDO, CSIR, private sector, corporations and NGOs for the purpose.

The health secretary also said states must consider leveraging hotel rooms and other accommodations linked with Covid hospitals in the private and government sectors to cater to patients with mild to moderate symptoms as was done during the previous waves.

To prevent surge pricing of essential health services such as ambulances and oxygen during the second wave, Bhushan told states to ensure the availability of beds, medical oxygen and ventilators, besides setting up control rooms at the district and ward levels to guide people on how to access ambulances and beds.