Preparations in advance
The way covid-19 is leaving its impact and making its presence felt in Jammu and Kashmir we need to understand that improving and augmenting the healthcare infrastructure is the only option to avoid a damage during the possible third that some experts are predicting.
From arranging for various new covid facilities to improving medical oxygen supplies besides other drugs, the administration needs to think on various modules which at this point of time need to be out of the box solutions so that some results are achieved.
In this regard a timely decision to increase additional oxygen beds in Kashmir division to ensure immediate treatment for the people requiring hospitalization can be seen as one of the steps that need to be ensured during the coming few weeks.
Making the availability of these covid beds should be the beginning as many more such decisions need to be announced in the coming days so that the emerging situation can be tackled well in time.
Preparing covid beds is no easy task. One needs to have all the facilities available that any patient put up at these facilities is in need of. This includes medical oxygen supplies, availability of water, washrooms and other facilities besides the all important medical care.
Creating all these facilities needs time and effort and since we are already running late on creating of such facilities we may have to put in extra efforts o see such facilities are created in actual.
But one thing that has come to our rescue for the time being is that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing far less number of covid-19 cases that were otherwise predicted. Since experts are predicting the third wave during the next coming months we still have some time left to organize ourselves and provide some answer to the increased demands of beds and other essentials that was witnessed during the second wave.
The authorities also need to emphasize on taking comprehensive measures for better patient care management and ensure triaging and judicious referrals from districts as the district level health facilities too have been added to the covid hospitals list which means that the infrastructure in the districts should also be put to optimum use.
However, the authorities also need to stress on the fact that medical care facilities are also equally important and for this the staff that needs to run the show needs to be arranged. Our healthcare workers have been already on tenterhooks and it is more than one year now that they have been going on and on despite all odds.
Though this arrangement may not work in extraordinary situations the authorities should rely on all those medical students and para-medics who are in their final stages of completion of their courses so that their services too can be utilized.
Even utilizing men from armed forces and retired medical professionals can also be worked out so that an additional work force remains handy at all the times.
These steps are a must because if experts are to be believed then the third wave can be more challenging as it is being predicted that children can also be affected by the new variants.
