Necessary measures must be taken to ramp up beds for COVID-19 patients: Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI

Emphasising that there is no substitute to testing, tracking and treatment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at a meeting to review the country's Covid preparedness that all necessary measures must be taken to ramp up the availability of beds for Covid patients.

The Prime Minister said that together India had defeated Covid-19 last year and the country can do it again, with the same principles but in better coordination. Modi said, "Early testing and proper tracking remain key to reduce mortality. The local administrations need to be proactive and sensitive to the concerns of the people."

Emphasising on close coordination with the states to fight the pandemic, Modi said that additional supply of beds through temporary hospitals and isolation centres should be ensured. While reviewing the status of the supply of Remdesivir and other medicines, he talked about the need to utilise the full potential of India's pharmaceutical industry to meet the rising demand for various medicines.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the officials that the manufacturing of Remdesivir has been ramped up to provide around 74.10 lakh vials per month in May, while the normal production output in January-February was about 27-29 lakh vials per month. Talking about resolving the issues related to real-time supply chain management, he said that the use of Remdesivir and other medicines must be in accordance with approved medical guidelines and their misuse and black marketing must be strictly curbed.

On the issue of supply of medical oxygen, Modi said that the installation of approved oxygen plants should be sped up. A total of 162 PSA Oxygen plants are being installed in 32 states/UTs using the PM-CARES Fund. The officials also informed the Prime Minister that one lakh oxygen cylinders are being procured which will be supplied to the states soon, while constant supply to the 12 high burden states is being made by assessing the current and future requirement of medical oxygen.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the status of availability of ventilators. On the issue of vaccination, Modi directed all the officials to make efforts to utilise the entire national capacity, in public as well as private sector, to ramp up vaccine production.

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