Hyderabad: Much before a possible surge of infections and a Covid third wave, Telangana is on track to create enough infrastructure and trained manpower in the government hospitals to handle any Covid infections among children. With schools set to reopen from September 1, the works related to infrastructure upgrade and manpower training to handle the probable rise in paediatric Covid infections at government hospitals is being taken up under the direct supervision of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.
The Chief Minister is keen to ensure that the works were completed at the earliest and nothing is left to chance, senior health officials here said. While there were no signs of the emergence of a new and more infectious variant of the SARS-CoV-2 that could cause a third wave, health officials here have made it clear that given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant, all preparations need to be taken to avoid a resurgence in the coming months.
“In terms of preparing for a possible third wave and creating infrastructure for children, we are on track in Telangana. We already have completed works related to creating 6,000 additional beds and the medical equipment needed for each bed. If people continue to be cautious and get vaccinated, we should be able to avoid a third wave,” says Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr K Ramesh Reddy.
Overall, the medical infrastructure upgrade for paediatric patients is quite significant, as the State government is looking to create at least 20,000 beds exclusively for children with 10,000 hospital beds each at government and private hospitals and creating supporting medical infrastructure to each additional hospital bed added.
The managements of private hospitals have already been informed to create additional beds, infrastructure and self-supporting oxygen supply systems required to take on a possible third wave, at the earliest. The State government has allocated Rs 133.90 crore to procure paediatric infrastructure. “Yes, even infrastructure wise, we are comfortable and have been making great progress in the last few months. We are sure that all the civic works related to setting up oxygen lines, ICU beds etc will be completed in few days,” Dr Reddy added.
