Pandemic has given a big boost to health infrastructure in Udupi: DHO

UDUPI: The global pandemic has given a big boost to health infrastructure in the district. This has vastly improved the ability of the

department of health

and family welfare to take any pandemic now and in the future head on, averred Dr Sudhir Chandra Sooda. The district has seen an increase in

ICU facilities

, high flow oxygenated beds at the district and community health centres, augmentation in

ambulance strength

among others, he said.


Interacting with the media to thank them and the society for standing by the department during the hour of need here on Wednesday, Dr Sooda said the government health set up now has 28 ICUs as against 8 earlier. The high flow oxygenated beds have gone up from 10 to 115, 30 beds in six CHCs now centralised oxygen supply systems. CSR funding by

Karnataka Bank

and

Rotary International

has taken the ambulance strength to 20 from 18.

The pandemic also hastened the process of fitting these 20 ambulances with GPS systems which was not present on these vehicles earlier. The setting up a dedicated Covid19 testing lab at the district hospital by bringing on board around 120 personnel across ranks too helped the district's efforts to fight the pandemic, he said. Automated testing facilities were introduced at the taluk hospitals at Kundapur and Karkala which will help in the future, he said.

The district health authorities managed to keep the case fatality rate at 0.81% and recovery rate at 98.4% despite facing serious manpower constraints, he said. The district as on date has recorded 189 Covid19 related deaths including 140 men and 49 women against 23550 who tested positive out of the 360406 samples tested. The district presently has 60 active cases out of which four are in ICU and rest undergoing treatment in the wards, he said.

Referring to Covid19 vaccination programme,

DHO

said the district has achieved 85% progress in covering government healthcare workers as against 68% coverage of those in the private healthcare sector. Coverage of frontline health care workers is 59%. Department aims to reach 90% of registered beneficiaries. The third phase of the vaccination programme for those aged above 50 and those below with co-morbidities could start from March 1, he said.

Superannuating from services on May 31, Dr Sooda thanked the district administration and all his programme officers for standing by him in handling the pandemic. The testing, tracing targets was steep and taxing, but was achieved with help from all. The pandemic was a novel experience for all health department staff in that most underwent a lot of stress. Meetings were the order of the day, so was interacting with the various stakeholders, he added.



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