BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Tuesday decided to document Covid-19 pandemic that will serve as repository of knowledge on the widespread occurrences of undesirable epidemic for future reference and research. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy here. The meeting reviewed the processes and interventions followed by different departments in dealing with the crisis. “Covid-19 is unprecedented in recent human memory and is a learning crisis. Documentation of the response strategies and interventions being adopted will strengthen the nation’s public health system in future,” Tripathy said.
The departments dealing with the crisis were advised to prepare a thematic summary of the approaches and operations undertaken, including the unique challenges faced, corrective measures taken, lessons learnt and good practices that evolved. The meeting deliberated on an indicative template for documentation as per the guidelines of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Union Government.
It will capture emergence of ideas and actions as the pandemic appeared in India and spread to Odisha, analytical documents, government orders, advisories, awareness creation, diffusion of correct information, management of public fear and apprehension, community involvement, enforcement, challenges success and weaknesses. It was decided to prepare the document in two forms - one compendium of orders and circulars and the other with audio-visual substance.
Tripathy advised to make the document a ‘real time reflective of the moods and perceptions in course of the response and management’. The State has passed through four broad phases of response, from last week of January 2020, and is currently countering the crisis with people’s participation in the fifth phase. Departments were advised to prepare the base documents by June 30 and keep on updating that with the evolving scenario. Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Special Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Home, Women and Child Development, Information and Public Relations, Chief Executive Officer of OSDA and other senior officers participated in the discussions.