* Stress on better coordination between deptts
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, July 19: Amid spike in Coronavirus cases both in Jammu and Kashmir regions, retired doctors have laid thrust on social distancing, excessive contact tracing & testing and better coordination between different departments dealing with the pandemic.
“The spike in Coronavirus cases is mainly due to negligence on the part of the public as a majority of people either do not wear face masks or wear them in improper way. With the time and ease of restrictions by the authorities, people are forgetting social distancing. They are taking the pandemic as granted and as a result, Corona cases are rising fast,” said Dr Ghanshyam Gupta, former Principal, GMC Jammu.
Dr Gupta said that the steps taken by the UT administration and other concerned are in right directions but more need to be done to keep the virus in control till some vaccine is developed. He emphasized the need to conduct door to door survey and test even those who are suffering with even some mild symptoms as well as people suffering from critical ailments like diabetes, kidney ailments, cancer, etc to prevent any death due to Coronavirus.
“Super spreader like milkmen, vegetable & fruit sellers, other shopkeepers should be tested on priority and anti-body tests should be done on large scale in COVID-19 hotspots,” he said and further suggested that only people with symptoms should be kept in administrative quarantine and others should be home quarantined.
A former Director of Health Services (DHS) Jammu wishing anonymity pointed to lack of coordination between officers of different departments dealing with the pandemic viz officers of NHM and Health Department, and Medical Education and Health Department. He further stressed upon sample collection by dental surgeons only.
Talking on policies and guidelines issued time to time by the UT administration to contain Corona, he said that policies of the Government are on right directions but due to clash of internal differences and ego of officers, these could not be implemented properly on ground.
He also emphasized on establishment of a Communicable Diseases Hospital in an isolated place to deal such a pandemic, stating that once such a Hospital was proposed to be set up in Jammu in the year 2015 by the Centre “but due to fighting between executives and political leaders we missed that opportunity.”
Another former DHS Jammu, Dr Gurjeet Singh said that the Corona cases increased in J&K as many J&K residents on returning from other parts of the country hid their travel history by using their contacts in bureaucracy in political circles and kept on spreading the virus silently.
Dr Singh said that Government should strictly deal with such persons and ensure that every traveler entering the UT be tested for Corona and sent to home quarantine if his report comes negative.
“While the world awaits the final arrival of a safe and efficacious vaccine against Coronavirus, the Unlocking process to save millions from economic disaster, has unleashed a wave of irresponsibility and waywardness by the public at large,” said Dr Bella Mahajan, former HoD Microbiology, GMC Jammu, adding, “Let us not forget that social distancing, wearing a mask and maintaining hygiene is the only vaccine available with us right now”.
Dr Mahajan said that all concerned administrative authorities, health care workers and the law and order restoring agencies have moved admirably in the current crisis of pandemic as per laid down norms, of creating awareness and setting up a well designed and co-ordinated system of tracking, testing and treating. The Health Care in the country has never received such a tremendous startup even in the last half a century put together, she added.
She emphasized that the onus of making all the efforts fruitful lies on all of us by following the directions, advisories and norms laid down by the authorities.
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