NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will deploy ‘trained’ employees at the child care institutions to keep a check on any possible spread of the infection during a probable Covid-19 third wave in the city.
Officials of the women and child development (WCD) department said that mobile units would be used to provide medical facilities and all caregivers, staff and supervisors of children’s homes would be vaccinated on a priority basis.
Delhi’s Women and Child Development Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparations of the imminent third wave of Covid.
The meeting was also attended by the director of the social welfare department and senior officials of the health department, and Guru Tegh Bahadur, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and Chacha Nehru Child Hospital.
The minister directed officials to work in close coordination to ensure the safety of the children who are vulnerable in the potential third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The minister was apprised that children living in institutional care such as children’s home, observational homes and shelter homes have to be prioritised with the help of NGOs and Anganwadi workers. For this, the department of women and child development will have to work as a nodal agency between all childcare homes, observation homes, NGOs etc in order to ensure smooth and seamless coordination,” said an official.
Besides deployment of trained staff at children care facilities, mobile units provide medical facilities and vaccination of caregivers, staff and supervisors on a priority basis, several other measures were discussed for the safety and welfare of inmates.
The health department said that experts should be available in every child care home so that they can assess how many beds, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrator etc. would be needed in each institution.
Meanwhile, the minister directed that with the help of the health department, data of children who have lost one or both parents to the pandemic needs to be prepared by the women and child development department.
“The minister was informed about the ongoing preparations for children across hospitals in Delhi which includes specialised ventilators and masks. Special arrangements are also being made for parents of children who are in the hospital in terms of their stay and vaccination. A provision is also being made for the vaccination of parents,” said an official.