Vizianagaram: Essential medicines to be supplied at doorstep

Vizianagaram: In the wake of Covid-19 lockdown being implemented in the district, the administration is planning to supply essential medicines at the doorstep of patients suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, lungs infection and cardiac problems.

The district administration is also taking steps to supply supplementary nutritious food to pregnant and lactating women at their doorstep to prevent them from coming out of their homes to get their ration. Instructions were issued to collect the ration from field level staff, ward and village level volunteers. The district administration is also planning to supply essential commodities at the doorstep of the consumers in town through Reliance, More, Spencers and others. Joint Collector J C Kishore Kumar conducted a meeting with chain suppliers on Saturday at Collectorate in this regard and issued orders to concerned staff also.

To contain the spread of Covid-19 in the district, the Collector Dr M Hari Jawaharlal initiated several measures like opening of quarantine facility with 1,100 beds capacity and complete house quarantine of foreign returnees. It is assessed that 437 persons have been arrived till today to the district from various countries.

The administration also collected data regarding the foreign returnees from high-risk nations including China, Spain, Italy, Iran, the US and Britain and planned to put them in quarantine for 28 days and citizens from other countries will have to complete 14 days of home quarantine period.

To receive complaints on supply of essential commodities and vegetables, a helpline number also set up to get the feedback from consumers. A 24x7 helpline with phone number 08922-236947 is set up at the Collectorate. Another control room is set up at District Medical and Health Office with number 08922- 227950 for receiving information on foreign returnees and their home quarantine. As of now no positive cases reported from the district, but the district administration is gearing up for any eventuality regarding outbreak of Covid-19.

On Saturday, Collector M Harijawaharlal and SP B Rajakumari visited MIMS Medical College and observed the conditions there to set up a quarantine ward with 100 beds and treatment facilities too. "We have been availing every opportunity to provide better service to corona infected people and isolate them. If the situation demands, we will avail the services of private hospitals too," he said.