Vijayawada: Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday directed officials to ensure uninterrupted emergency medical services at all government hospitals and primary and village-level health centres from October 27 to October 30 in view of the cyclone threat.
“Pregnant women, newborns, children, senior citizens, and patients with chronic illnesses must not face any disruption in healthcare,” the minister underlined.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Krishna and Bapatla districts on October 27 and for 13 districts on October 28.
Following the minister’s directive, Health and Family Welfare commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu has issued orders directing district officials to strengthen preparedness and ensure round-the-clock medical services.
Accordingly, districts will establish 24-hour emergency control rooms, identify flood-prone and low-lying areas, and check the availability of medical staff, medicines, equipment, electricity, and water facilities at healthcare facilities.
Officials will coordinate with revenue and police departments, apart from emergency ambulance services, including 108, 104, and 102.
There will be stocking of emergency medicines, ORS packets, intravenous fluids, maternity medicines, newborn care supplies, oxygen, generators, fuel, and drinking water.
Ambulances, blood banks, and maternity centres will be kept ready for transferring patients without delay.
As per records, there are 26,768 pregnant women whose expected delivery dates fall between October 23 and November 6.
Women in flood-prone areas, with high-risk pregnancies, those with severe anaemia or other complications, including those with previous caesarean deliveries, are being prioritised for shifting to hospitals.
Specialised transportation arrangements are being made in areas likely to face road connectivity issues during the cyclone.
Village-level health workers have been asked to identify vulnerable families, including those with pregnant women, new mothers, infants, children, elderly people, persons with disabilities, and patients who require regular medication.
Officials have been instructed to test drinking water, maintain sanitation at hospitals and relief camps, and monitor diarrhoea, fever, infectious diseases, leptospirosis, mosquito-borne illnesses, snakebite, and drowning incidents.
Any unusual rise must be reported immediately.
The Health and Family Welfare commissioner underlined that district medical and health officers would be responsible for preparedness, coordination, and monitoring.
They will submit reports of preparedness in their respective districts before the beginning of adverse weather conditions.
Medical Education director A. Vishnuvardhan disclosed that superintendents and doctors of teaching hospitals have also been put on alert.
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