Puducherry: Health facilities fully prepared to handle any Covid-19 exigency

Health centres in Puducherry had performed well when the pandemic broke out a couple of years ago in the union territory, official said.

Puducherry is fully equipped to meet any exigency caused due to Covid-19, the district Collector E Vallavan said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after overseeing the mock drill following an advisory from the central Health Ministry to check Covid preparedness in case of any spike in infections, he said the government was focusing on such parameters as the availability of health facilities in the Union Territory, the capacity of isolation beds, oxygen supported beds and other infrastructure. Vallavan inspected the facilities available in the government-run Hospital for Chest Diseases. He further said the chest hospital, the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital, and the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children have been fully equipped to meet any exigency caused by Covid 19.

He said the health centres in Puducherry had performed well when the pandemic broke out a couple of years ago in the union territory. "We have taken all precautionary measures in response to the advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry," the Collector said and added that 450 beds were kept ready to meet any demand besides 2,000 nebulizers and 125 beds with ventilator support.

Vallavan said a genome testing lab would go on stream shortly at the government hospital here although all along samples were sent to Bengaluru for testing. "The facility has been set up at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore and the test would be done now in Puducherry," he said. He said so far no case of the new variant of BF.7 of Covid has been reported in Puducherry.

(With inputs from PTI)