PM-DMs Interaction Outcomes: RSTV- Big Picture

PM-DMs Interaction Outcomes:- Download PDF Here

Anchor:

Kriti Mishra

Participants:

Dr. B.L. Sherwal, Director, Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality Hospital, New Delhi.

Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Sr. Consultant, Health, NITI Aayog.

Context:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the state and district officials on the issue of handling the Covid-19 pandemic at their levels.

Key highlights of the interaction:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with officials from state and districts to know their experience while handling the second wave of Covid-19. 
• During the interaction, he told the district magistrates that they are the field commanders and their weapons are local containment zones, aggressive testing, and correct information.
• The officials participating in the interaction were from ten states/UTs — Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also attended the meeting.
• PM Modi also raised concerns regarding the spread of the virus amongst youth and children. He directed the district magistrates to collect data related to infection among the youth and children in their respective districts and review it continuously.
• PM Modi said that the strategy to deal with the pandemic should be dynamic, innovative, and constantly upgraded as he underlined the dangers posed by the virus which, he noted, is invisible and often mutates.
• He also said that while the cases have gone down in numbers, the challenge remains as long as the infection remains even at a minor scale. He praised the officials for their efforts in making good use of existing resources to fight “the biggest disaster in 100 years”.
• He further informed that work on installing oxygen plants at district hospitals is happening through PM-Cares. He said vaccination is a medium to fight the virus and efforts are continuously being made to increase the supply.
• The Health Ministry is streamlining the system and process of vaccination. An attempt is being made to give a schedule of the next 15 days to the states in advance. This will help to know for many people in the district the vaccine will be made available and how to make preparations for that.
• He also stressed controlling the pandemic in rural areas, which is a difficult task.

Management of Covid-19 pandemic at the village level:

There are certain challenges in handling the covid-19 cases at the village level. Some of them are as follows:

• Sometimes people in the villages ignore the effects of the coronavirus and say that this is a curse given by God.
• People take the symptoms lightly saying that this is a normal cough and cold.
• Vaccination is still not completely accepted in various villages.
• People suffering from the symptoms of the Covid-19 pandemic do not get themselves tested because of fear or ignorance.

Also read: Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897

Measures to control the spread of Covid-19 pandemic:

• There should be proper tracking and testing of the virus.
• Containment zones should be well prepared and people should follow the guidelines of the covid-19 pandemic.
• Awareness campaigns should be held to create awareness about the Coronavirus and the benefits of vaccination and let people understand that getting vaccinated is the major step to get rid of the deadly virus.
• People should come forward to utilize the existing resources and act collectively to fight this virus.

Way Forward:

• As District Magistrates are the major actors at the district levels, they should come forward with some innovative ideas to fight with the novel coronavirus.
• People of the rural areas should also understand the situation and act unitedly to stand against the virus by following the guidelines and getting themselves vaccinated.
• Even if the data on Covid-19 cases are showing a declining trend these days, we should not take it lightly because even a single case of Covid-19 is dangerous and we have to be more aware and well prepared for any situation.

Conclusion:

Interaction of the prime minister with the district magistrate sends a strong message to all the COVID warriors that the government is dedicated to fight the pandemic and is supporting them in every possible manner. It will motivate them as well as the people to play their role in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

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