Arunachal to put in all resources in its fight against COVID-19

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak followed by the subsequent nationwide lockdown, the Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to put in all its resources to break the chain of transmission of the disease, officials said.

The government has distributed funds among all the 26 deputy commissioners (DCs) of the state to tackle the situation, though Arunachal has not reported any COVID-19 positive cases so far, they said.

Each DC has been given Rs 12 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), totalling Rs 3.12 crore, while a total amount of Rs 1.30 crore has been distributed among all the superintends of police (SPs), from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (CMRF) to tackle the outbreak, an official said.

"To empower the district administrations to fight against coronavirus, a total Rs 15 crore under the Mukhya Mantri Rogi Kalyan Kosh (MMRKK) have been distributed equally among all 26 districts in the state," Chief Minister Pema Khandu said in a statement here on Tuesday.

The guidelines of the MMRKK have been relaxed and therefore 80 per cent of the funds could be used for procurement of medicines, consumables and equipment, Khandu said.

The remaining 20 per cent would be utilised for conducting health camps, engaging doctors, retired doctors, paramedics and contingency staff for the next three months.

The state government, to strengthen the public health system and ensure concrete preparedness against COVID-19, has appealed to the retired health professionals to volunteer to supplement the current human resources and staffing shortages in the state.

The retired professionals have been requested to contact the Director of Health Services at Naharlagun. "The frontline response team deployed all over the state is dealing with COVID 19 suspects for which personal protective equipment (PPE) have been supplied," the chief minister said.

"A total of 10,000 N-95 masks from HLL Lifecare Limited, 300 VTMs from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and 30 thermal scanners reached the state on Tuesday and distribution is underway, he said.

To meet the shortage of medical equipment as a result of the lockdown, a special chartered cargo flight has been arranged by the state government.

The special flight will ferry essential medical equipment such as surgical masks, PPE with all accessories and other things from New Delhi to Guwahati on Wednesday, he said.

"Medical items for sanitisation have also been ferried to the state. Helicopters have been put into service to deliver all essential ration commodities to the people living in far-flung areas, Khandu informed, adding that the first helicopter sortie was made to Vijaynagar on Tuesday and five other sorties have been planned for the week.

ICUs with ventilators have been set up in Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), while isolation wards and quarantine rooms have been identified in all the districts.

Besides, helplines and control rooms are functioning round the clock, the chief minister said. The state has not reported any COVID-19 positive cases so far.

Thirty-three swab samples from the state have been tested so far out of which 23 are negative while results of 10 are awaited, State Surveillance Officer (IDSP) Dr L Jampa informed.

A total of 17 people are staying in quarantine facilities, while 85 have completed the 14-day quarantine period, he added.