Babus flag equipment, ventilator shortage in Haryana

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

Haryana IAS officers have highlighted non-availability of personal protection equipment (PPEs) and ventilators and influx of outsiders in Mewat as major challenges before the state in their feedback on the National Preparedness Survey on Covid-19. Doctors too had earlier raised concerns over shortage of protective equipment.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAPRG) had conducted a national survey based on responses from IAS officers. Civil servants, including Deputy Commissioners and those from 2014–2018 batches, voluntarily participated in the survey. The online feedback was collected from March 25 to March 30 where 410 officers registered, but only 266 complete feedback forms reached — nine from Haryana, five from Himachal Pradesh, four from Punjab and one from Chandigarh. The survey was released on April 2.

In Nuh, which has seen highest influx of returnees from the Tablighi Jamaat’s congregation, it has been pointed out that “many people are coming in the district from different areas of India and it is difficult to track and check all of them”.

In Jhajjar, labour movement in rural areas due to the harvesting season has been listed as a challenge. The most serious gap in the district is in isolation and testing mechanism due to lack of health infrastructure and testing facilities.

In Karnal, non-availability of PPEs for doctors and health workers is highlighted along with shortage of N95 masks and ventilators. In Jind too, inadequate supply of PPEs is listed. Similar is the situation in Bhiwani, where lack of health personnel and testing criteria has been highlighted.

On shortage of protective equipment for health professionals, Additional Chief Secretary Health Rajeev Arora said that the state has 19,000 PPE kits, 90,000 N95 masks and 10 lakh triple ply masks. About 2.5 lakh PPE kits and 1.45 lakh N95 masks have also been ordered. “At present, we have 1,282 ventilators and 210 more have been ordered,” said Arora. Currently, the state has just 4.4 ventilators per lakh population.

He said PPEs were given as per protocol and also testing would be carried out as per the laid down criteria. The state has tested 1,323 samples for Covid till the afternoon of April 3.

In Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba, it was pointed out that tracking followed by effective testing was not possible due to shortage of testing kits and other infrastructure. Non-compliance by people to national lockdown is listed as a hindrance. In Hamirpur, inability to stop panic movement of people from place of work to their village locations is highlighted.

2.5 lakh kits awaited

• On shortage of protective equipment for healthcare professionals, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Rajeev Arora said that the state had 19,000 PPE kits, 90,000 N95 masks and 10 lakh triple ply masks while about 2.5 lakh PPE kits and 1.45 lakh N95 masks had been ordered.
• “At present, we have 1,282 ventilators and 210 more have been ordered,” said Arora, stating that currently, the state had just 4.4 ventilators per lakh population.

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