NGOs, social volunteers may be called in for assistance during COVID pandemic: Jitendra Singh

New Delhi: To solve the problem of lack of Human Resource, non-government organisations and social volunteers may be called to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

During a meeting with principals of government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir to review COVID-19 management, he also said post-graduate and final-year undergraduate medicine students may be engaged at government medical colleges and other associated hospitals.

Singh asked the principals to collaborate with the administration for increasing ventilators and oxygen capacity at hospitals so that no one suffers because of a shortage.

The audit of oxygen cylinders and ventilators must be conducted, and the same should be published for equitable distribution in time of distress for critical patients and to dispel doubts among the people, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

Singh, who represents Udhampur in Lok Sabha, has directed Kathua Deputy Commissioner Rahul Yadav, who is the nodal authority for the constituency, to allocate the existing amount of Rs 2.5 crore in his MP fund account for setting up oxygen manufacturing plants and other COVID-related facilities in his constituency.

The minister said he had taken this decision in view of the unprecedented crisis arising out of the pandemic, for which “each one of us is expected to contribute whatever resources are available”.

During the meeting, he said wherever there are technical difficulties related to the use of oxygen plants or ventilators, the same must be communicated in realtime to officials or directly to him so that these can be resolved by experienced mechanical engineers, biomedical engineers or other technical staff.

Singh assured that the central government is committed to support the administration of the Union Territory in every possible way and to fill in gaps where required so as to save lives and improve the health infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.