With the number of coronavirus cases rising in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government has directed all the private medical colleges and private hospitals to make available their premises, resources and manpower at the disposal of the District Collector as and when required. The decision was taken under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the powers under section 2, 3 and 4 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897.
A memo pertaining to this was issued by the AP special chief secretary for health and family welfare KS Jawahar Reddy on March 29.
According to the order, the government can utilise infrastructure like isolation beds, rooms, wards, ICU premises, ventilators, testing labs, pharmacies, morturies, material, equipment and manpower for the purpose of emergency response, relief, and rescue.
“All specialist doctors, nurses and non-government hospitals shall be utilised for their services, as and when required by State or District Disaster Management Authority. All authorised persons of such private hospitals shall abide by directions of District Collectors or authorised special officers appointed by the District Collector and Magistrate,” the order reads.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had held a high-level review meeting with the Chief Secretary, District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners and other officials on Monday and set a target of adding 5,000 more beds to the existing 16,723 beds at isolation centres as part of the contingency plan for COVID-19. The Collectors in each district were asked to increase the non-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds to 8,050 from the existing 6,762 beds, and increase 336 ICU beds to 515, by Wednesday. They were also asked to arrange 148 ventilator beds. The CM asked authorities to sanitise and convert the function halls and hotels into isolation rooms if necessary.
On Monday, the special chief secretary for health and family welfare also appealed to philanthropic organisations, trusts, NGO, corporate social responsibility (CSR) heads of organisations in procuring medical materials like surgical masks, N95 masks, PPEs (Personal protective equipment), sanitizers along with purchase of mobile x-ray machines, ventilators, pulse oximeters and BiPAPs (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) machines.
Andhra Pradesh recorded a sudden spike in the cases on Tuesday, after 17 persons tested positive, taking the overall count to 40 in the state.