Focus on improving paediatric care in TN ahead of third Covid wave: Ma Subramanian
The paediatric specialty treatment facilities across hospitals in the State are being strengthened, Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced on Saturday.
Published: 20th June 2021 05:14 AM | Last Updated: 20th June 2021 05:14 AM | A+A A-
Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian (Photo| Facebook)
CHENNAI: Even as Tamil Nadu is in the process of containing the second wave of the pandemic, the government is already making preparations to tackle that third wave that is suspected to affect children more than before. The paediatric specialty treatment facilities across hospitals in the State are being strengthened, Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced on Saturday.
“Exclusive facilities for paediatric care, with oxygen support, will be installed in all government hospitals,” he said. “As per the instructions of Chief Minister MK Stalin, this is part of the preparedness efforts for the coming days.” With experts across the country saying that a third wave is possible, the minister said, measures are being taken to keep the infrastructure ready in case there’s a surge among children being infected.
“Even UPHCs and district government hospitals will be readied to handle cases,” he said, adding that in the past one month, the State has added 79,000 oxygen beds. He further said that doctors who were part of the ‘Amma’ Mini Clinics, opened by the previous AIADMK government, are now in Covid-19 duty. “Once the cases come down, we will put them back to mini clinics.
Presently, vaccination camps are being held there,” he said. On Saturday, Tamil Nadu recorded as many as 8,180 fresh cases and 180 deaths, taking the total caseload to 24,14,680 and the toll to 31,105. Chennai recorded 468 cases on the day, and Coimbatore and Erode added another 1,014 and 933 cases to their tally, respectively. Meanwhile, as many as 18,232 people were discharged upon recovery, according to the health bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public Health, taking the total number of active cases in the State to 78,780.
‘Preparation for coming days’
Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that exclusive facilities for paediatric care, with oxygen support, will be installed in all the government hospitals in the State. “This is part of preparedness efforts for the coming days, as per the Chief Minister’s instructions,” said the minister
