Centre to increase Telangana's Oxygen, Remdesivir quota: Harsha Vardhan

Union Minister Harsha Vardhan held a video conference with the state government on Wednesday. On the instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, finance Minister T Harish Rao participated in the video conference.

Harish Rao explained the curtailment measures taken by the state government. The minister urged the Union Minister to enhance the quota of the Telangana and supply the required quantities of Oxygen, medicines, Vaccines, and other essential materials immediately.

Harish Rao said the state government had enhanced the basic infrastructure considerably by the time the second wave arrived. During the first wave of COVID, there were only 18, 232 beds, which were increased to 53, 775. The CM with his foresight had increased the 9213 Oxygen beds to 20738, ICU beds from 3264 to 11274. There is a three-fold increase in these beds.

The Finance Minister said under the instructions from the CM, Medical and Health Department in the state is conducting door-to-door fever survey to contain the Corona spread. 27039 Teams consisting of the ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and ANM staff are visiting each and every household and conducting the fever tests.

Harish Rao informed the union health Minister that Health Kits comprising the essential medicines to treat Corona are supplied to those suspected patients.

He said so far Fever tests are done in 60 lakh households, suspected are kept in the isolation and are given the health kits. He said the lockdown has begun in the state from today.

Minister Harish Rao, on the instructions from the CM, made several requests to the Union Minister. With Telangana becoming a medical Hub, people from the neighboring states are rushing to Hyderabad and their numbers are far more than the patients within the State.

Hence there was a mad rush of the patients. People from AP, Karnataka, and Maharashtra who have tested positive in their states are coming to Hyderabad for the treatment.

"Hence there is a discrepancy in the number of Covid Positive cases. This has also become an unbearable burden on the state government. Harish Rao urged that instead of making allocations of medicines, Oxygen, and others based on the population in Telangana, the quota should be fixed based on the number of beds of the positive cases both within the state and those coming from other states on a daily basis. The shortage of medicines and others in the state was due to the difference in the calculation of the positive cases," the Finance Minister explained.

Harish Rao said based on these facts, there should be more allocation of the essential medicines, Oxygen, ventilators and etc., for the State. He wanted an enhanced quota of Oxygen, Vaccines, and Remdesivir immediately.

The 450 MT of Oxygen for the State should be increased to 600 MT per day. He wanted Oxygen cryogenic Tankers should be brought into the state from the neighboring states like AP, Maharashtra but not from distant states like Odisha as it would help quick delivery and supply.

"As already informed by the CM, supply of Remdesivir injunctions should be increased to 20,000 vials per day. Since patients are coming to Telangana by Air Ambulances, the supply of Tocilizumab injections should be increased from 810 to 1500 per day. Telangana needs 2 Lakh testing kits per day and they should be supplied forthwith. On the instructions of the CM, the second dose of the vaccine is being administered all over the State. To vaccinate people above 45 years of age, 1.29 Crore Vaccines are required. There is an urgent need of 13 Lakh vaccines till the end of this month and they should be supplied immediately," he said.

He also wanted the immediate supply of 2000 Ventilators, which are very much needed for the State. The Union Minister positively responded to the requests and suggestions and said he had noted down the points. The Union Minister also assured that all the required needs of the state would be fulfilled.