New Delhi

The Union Health Ministry has written to States and Union Territories listing the best practices used by them while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic including-- Tamil Nadu's taxi ambulance, Mobile OPD in Rajasthan, along with 12 other initiatives.

In a letter to states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners of worst-affected States/UTs on May 18 and May 20 regarding public health response to Covid management, and said, "The coordinated and dedicated efforts put in by the States and Districts through local innovations, to manage the pandemic and associated challenges are appreciable."

The Health Secretary listed many initiatives like-- mobile OPD at block level to provide non-Covid essential services to villages and provision of "Oxygen Mitra" in each hospital to check oxygen wastage in Bikaner, Rajasthan; and door-to-door testing using both RAT and RT-PCR in rural areas which brought down the positivity from 38 per cent to 2.8 per cent in a period of one month in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.

The letter also mentioned, "Use of "Oxygen Nurses" to ensure rational use of Oxygen in hospitals in Kerala. Worksite Covid vaccination centres and drive through Covid vaccination centres in Gurugram, Haryana. Effective use of Kashi Covid Response Centre (KCRC) to provide one-stop solution for all Covid related queries of common citizens in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh."

The other initiatives lauded by the Health Secretary include-- Establishment and operation of isolation centres and Covid Care Centres with the active cooperation of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Gautam Buddh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh; Community engagement at mohalla level, village, block and district level by involving elected representatives and losing candidates of the last election, in promoting prompt isolation and containment measures in Madhya Pradesh; and digital portal for real-time tracking bed occupancy, oxygen consumption in all 102 hospitals as well as the availability of ambulances in Gurugram, Haryana.

The Initiatives of Ayush Ministry also finds the mention-- including utilisation of Ayush medicines and Ayush health facilities for Covid management in the UT of Chandigarh, and distribution of Ayush Kadha in Haat Bazaars of District Janjgir Champa, Chhattisgarh.