By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s Southern districts of Ganjam , the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik continued to boil with COVID-19 positive cases and as well as death tolls are on rise. Ganjam reported 5,280 positive cases, of which 3,275 have been cured while 52 deaths reported till Sunday morning.
Odisha’s Ganjam has 13 MLAs including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Speaker SN Patro while it has also two MPs of Berhampur and Aska represented by Chandrasekhar Sahu and Pramila Bisoyi.
But the disappearance of Ganjam leaders from the scene has raised many eyebrows. Chief Minister Patnaik , who represents Hinjili Assembly segment of the district, never paid a visit to his people since the outbreak of COVID-19.
The all powerful Minister BK Arukh, Odisha Assembly Speaker SN Patro, Berhampur MP, Chandrasekhar Sahu, Aska MP Pramila Bisoyi, MLAs Bikram Panda, Pradip Panigrahi, Latika Pradhan, Usha Devi, Srikant Sahu, Suryamani Baidya, Subash Chandra Pradhan, Manjula Swain, Purna Chandra Swain, Ramesh Jena are missing from the scenes. The disappearance of leader from the scenes have not gone well with people of the district, if someone calculate the criticism in various social media platforms.
A few days ago Odisha had posted 130 doctors from tribal districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Bolangir and Kalahandi to Ganjam that has reported over 5,280 Covid-19 cases, around 30 per cent of the total coronavirus cases of Odisha. Ganjam has failed to get a grip on the Covid-19 situation with 80-90 per cent of the cases now being reported from all over the district, triggering fears of community transmission.
While finding no way out, Odisha Government changed it policy for Ganjam. As per the decisions, round-the-clock health services at Emergency and OPD of MKCG Medical College and Hospital will be resumed at the earliest. This apart, an Additional Superintendent will be appointed at the MKCG Medical College to assist the Superintendent in COVID management.
A 100-bed COVID Care Centre (CCC) will be set up at the Pediatric ward of MKCG and function under the direct supervision of Ganjam Collector. Besides, a 150-bed COVID Care Centre at Bidyutpur and another 150-bed CCC at Sishumandir will be established. The Berhampur Municipal Corporation will manage the CCC at Sishumandir whereas the City Hospital will provide the healthcare services.
It was further decided in the meeting to reserve 10% bed at CCCs and CHCs for critical patients with low oxygen level.Teams of psychiatry advisers led by a Psychiatrist will be formed to tele-counsel COVID-19 patients. Those who recovered from the virus infection will be appointed as psychiatry advisers. Also, they will work as COVID Monitor and counsel at least 10 patients. The government decided to provide Rs 1,000 each to the psychiatry advisers.
The COVID-19 patients in home isolation will get medicine kit and prescriptions in Odia on the drug intake. Caregiver and family of the patients will also get IEC material on the COVID awareness.The hotels in Berhampur and Gopalpur will be directed to reserve rooms for doctors engaged in COVID duties and other frontline corona warriors.Telemedicine services will be provided to patients requiring emergency treatment in the Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatric and Pediatric departments. This apart, call centres will be set up to provide advices to COVID-19 patients and recovered cases.
