SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday directed officials to carry out aggressive contact tracing of COVID-19 patients to contain the spread of the viral disease in the Valley, particularly in Srinagar district.
Chairing a meeting at Raj Bhavan here to review the functioning of the health and medical education department, he asked officials to strengthen the monitoring system, and update information about all facilities available at health centres and their costs on the official website of the department.
Advisor R R Bhatnagar, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyan and financial commissioner health and medical education Atal Dulloo were present at the meeting.
"Taking a serious note of the rise in coronavirus cases in Kashmir division, the L-G directed for aggressive contact tracing of COVID positive patients to contain the deadly virus, particularly in Srinagar," a spokesperson said.
The Lt Governor directed the officers concerned to ensure that adequate medical facilities are available at all health centres especially at primary and community health centres across the Union Territory.
"As we are aiming to improve the healthcare system of Jammu and Kashmir to make it the best in the country, the objective of providing best possible medical care to the patients visiting the hospitals cannot be compromised at any cost," Sinha said.
Stressing on strengthening of human resources at community health centres and primary healthcare centres, the L-G asked the authorities concerned to prepare a database and rationalise the available staff, besides filling up vacancies for doctors, nurses and other health workers immediately.
Sinha directed for providing additional incentives to doctors serving in rural areas in order to retain them at their place of posting.
All district hospitals should have dialysis facilities, the L-G said and called for recruitment of specialists in district hospitals, including cardiologists and radiologists.
He said that maternity benefits should be made available under Pradhan Mantri Matritav Vandana Yojna to every beneficiary without delay and emphasised on coordination between social welfare and health departments.