Revive free teleconsultation for Covid patients, DMs told

ibune News Service

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New Delhi, May 21

Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh today asked the district magistrates (DMs) of all the 20 districts of J&K to look for ways to revive the free teleconsultation facility in a bigger way for Covid patients in home isolation.

Singh chaired a comprehensive review meeting to take stock of the situation in the Union Territory (UT) in the wake of the Covid pandemic, a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel said.

Interacting with officials, the minister said the guidelines were already there for empanelment of recognised doctors for teleconsultation on shift-wise basis and this would go a long way in reducing the burden of patients on district hospitals through indiscriminate referral system.

Singh also asked the DMs to rope in NGOs and youth groups, who have come forward in providing free medical consultation on phone, the personnel ministry official said, adding that the minister impressed upon them that the move would also negate the self-styled remedies, which were being forwarded on social media to fight the pandemic.

Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, has directed the DMs to set up Covid war rooms and enlist the support of elected representatives, doctors and members of civil society and share the positive news and best practices of Covid management with the media at regular intervals.

He asked the collectors to undertake people-friendly vaccination drive on a mission mode by involving elected representatives, religious heads and civil society at large. Referring to PM Narendra Modi’s recent interactions with state and district officials, he said continuous efforts were being made to increase the supply of vaccines. Singh said all the states and UTs would get a schedule of the next 15 days, so that they can prioritise the vaccination drive.