Telangana Health Secretary visits Nalgonda, puts border district on alert
Health Secretary SAM Rizvi pointed out that Nalgonda was a border district of AP and directed the officials to be alert and take measures to ensure that the Covid numbers don't go up
Nalgonda: Health Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi on Sunday instructed the officials of Health and Panchayat Raj departments and municipalities to be alert and take measures to control the spread of coronavirus.
During his whirlwind tour of the district, Rizvi held review meetings with officials at Nagarjuna Sagar, Miryalaguda and Nakrekal in Nalgonda district, where positivity rate was reportedly high.
Rizvi and Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivas Rao, Director of Medical Education Dr Ramesh Reddy and Managing Director of Telangana State Medical services and Infrastructure Development Corporation Chandrasekhar Reddy arrived at Nagarjuna Sagar by helicopter and held a review meeting in Vijaya Vihar with officials of health, panchayat raj and municipal commissioners.
Speaking at the review meeting, Rizwi said that COVID-19 positivity rate had decreased in the State, but cases were high in some areas. “There is a need to focus on such areas. Isolation centres should be set up in such areas and treatment should be provided to Covid-19 patients,” he added.
He also inquired with health officials about the positivity rate, number of Covid patients taking treatment in the hospitals and reason for spread of the virus in their areas. He also sought explanation from the officials on four per cent Covid positivity rate reported in the limits of Peddavoora Primary Health centre.
Pointing out that Nalgonda was a border district of Andhra Pradesh, he directed the officials to be alert and take measures to ensure that the numbers don’t go up. He asked the PHC doctors to focus on villages where number of Covid positive cases was high and try to find out the reason for the situation. The officials of health, panchayat raj and municipalities should work in coordination in controlling the spread of coronavirus. Covid vaccination rate should be pushed up in villages and towns where positivity rate was high.
Stating that there was no shortage of Rapid Antigen test kits and COVID vaccines, he made it clear that the number of tests should not be reduced at PHCs even though dip in corona cases. Nalgonda was also backward in COVID vaccination, which was highlighting the need to speed up vaccination drive. Seasonal diseases including viral fevers would break out during monsoon season, hence fever survey should be taken up again in the villages and towns, he stressed.
Pointing out that neighbouring states were reporting five to 10 per cent Covid positivity rate, he said that movement of people between Nalgonda and neighboring state would be high since it was a border district. He pointed out that COVID positivity rate in Nalgonda district was 2.5 percent, which was higher than the state average of two per cent.
The district Collector Prashant Jeevan Patil, District Medical and Health Officer Dr Kondal rao, District Panchayat Officer Vishnu Vardhan were also attended the review meeting.
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