Amendment to Rule 16(i) and Rule 61 of POLI Rules, 2011

UPU guide underscores value of postal social services for citizens and governments

 In Cameroon, students living in remote areas could not easily access school textbooks, which were often sold at inflated prices. CAMPOST stepped in to sell the textbooks at the government-designated price. The margin allowed the post to cover its costs and make a profit.

Over in Japan, for 2,500 JPY (19 euros) per month, a postal worker will visit a senior citizen for half an hour once a month to help combat the negative health effects of isolation and loneliness, among other check-up services.

 

These are just two examples of the more than 400 social services offered by posts around the world, according to the UPU’s new Guide to Postal Social Services released on 29 April 2021.

 

The guide states, “These social services generate value for citizens, Posts and governments, and there is considerable scope for their expansion.”

 

Given the connection of posts with people’s quality of life, and the broad argument for offering social services, the guide says, the UPU launched the first-of-its-kind research project to understand the role posts play in providing social services.

 

The UPU surveyed members, conducted desktop research and collected case studies to generate the guide. The project was generously sponsored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan.

 

Responses were gathered between December 2019 and February 2020, and 113 UPU members provided responses, with 89 (79%) reporting that they offered some type of social service, and 59% intend to offer new services. Through the questionnaires and other research, the project identified 435 examples of postal social services from 160 UPU member countries and territories.

 

The guide highlights how posts can position themselves to offer solutions for citizens’ needs in health, education, community connection, access to government services, utilities and technology.

 

The guide is broken down into five distinct chapters that cover global societal challenges, such as inequality and ageing that call for social services. The guide offers an overview of social services currently being offered by posts in various areas of need, including health and technology; provides examples of how posts have committed to social services; sets out ideas for postal strategies and risk management; and notes opportunities for posts to identify and develop new social services.

 

“This guide aims to make the variety of existing postal social services more visible, and to support greater diversification and innovation in this area,” said Siva Somasundram, Director of Policy, Regulation and Markets.

Revised Guidelines for Home Isolation of Mild and Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Union Health Ministry issues Revised Guidelines for Home Isolation of Mild and Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

Posted On: 30 APR 2021 12:02PM by PIB Delhi

Government of India is leading the COVID-19 response and management in the country in close coordination and collaboration with the State/UT governments. Several strategic and calibrated measures have been taken for the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today issued guidelines in suppression to the earlier guidelines issued on the subject on 2nd July 2020.

As per the revised guidelines, the patients who are clinically assigned to be mild / asymptomatic are   recommended for home isolation.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 Cases-

 

The asymptomatic cases are laboratory confirmed cases not experiencing any symptoms and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 94%. Clinically assigned mild cases are patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms (&/or fever) without shortness of breath and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 94%.

 

1. Patients eligible for home isolation

 

1. 1. The patient should be clinically assigned as mild/ asymptomatic case by the treating Medical Officer.
   2. Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and for quarantining the family contacts.
   3. A care giver should be available to provide care on 24 x7 basis. A communication link between the caregiver and hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation.
   4. Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart disease, Chronic lung/liver/ kidney disease, Cerebro-vascular disease etc shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.
   5. Patients suffering from immune compromised status (HIV, Transplant recipients, Cancer therapy etc.) are not recommended for home isolation and shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.

 

1. 6. The care giver and all close contacts of such cases should take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
   7. In addition, the guidelines on home-quarantine for other members available at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Guidelinesforhomequarantine.pdf, shall be also followed.
2. Instructions for the patient

 

1. 1. Patient must isolate himself from other household members, stay in the identified room and away from other people in home, especially elderlies and those with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease etc.
   2. The patient should be kept in a well-ventilated room with cross ventilation and windows should be kept open to allow fresh air to come in.
   3. Patient should at all times use triple layer medical mask. Discard mask after 8 hours of use or earlier if they become wet or visibly soiled. In the event of care giver entering the room, both care giver and patient may consider using N 95 mask.
   4. Mask should be discarded only after disinfecting it with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite.
   5. Patient must take rest and drink lot of fluids to maintain adequate hydration.
   6. Follow respiratory etiquettes at all times.
   7. Frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 40 seconds or clean with alcohol-based sanitizer.
   8. Don’t share personal items with other people in the household.
   9. Ensure cleaning of surfaces in the room that are touched often (tabletops, doorknobs, handles, etc.) with 1% hypochlorite solution.
   10. Self-monitoring of blood oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter is strongly advised.
   11. The patient will self-monitor his/her health with daily temperature monitoring and report promptly if any deterioration of symptom as given below is noticed.

 

 

Monitoring chart

 

Day of symptoms and time (every 4 hourly)	Temperature	Heart rate (from pulse oximeter)	SpO2 % (from pulse oximeter)	Feeling: (better /same /worse)	Breathing: (better / same/ worse)

 

 

3. Instructions for caregivers

 

1. 1. Mask:
      • The caregiver should wear a triple layer medical mask. N95 mask may be considered when in the same room with the ill person.

o Front portion of the mask should not be touched or handled during use.

o If the mask gets wet or dirty with secretions, it must be changed immediately.

o Discard the mask after use and perform hand hygiene after disposal of the mask.

o He/she should avoid touching own face, nose or mouth.

 

1. 2. Hand hygiene
      • Hand hygiene must be ensured following contact with ill person or his immediate environment.
      • Hand hygiene should also be practiced before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, and whenever hands look dirty.
      • Use soap and water for hand washing at least for 40 seconds. Alcohol-based hand rub can be used, if hands are not visibly soiled.
      • After using soap and water, use of disposable paper towels to dry hands is desirable. If not available, use dedicated clean cloth towels and replace them when they become wet.

o Perform hand hygiene before and after removing gloves.

 

1. 3. Exposure to patient/patient’s environment
      • Avoid direct contact with body fluids of the patient, particularly oral or respiratory secretions. Use disposable gloves while handling the patient.
      • Avoid exposure to potentially contaminated items in his immediate environment (e.g., avoid sharing cigarettes, eating utensils, dishes, drinks, used towels or bed linen).
      • Food must be provided to the patient in his room. Utensils and dishes used by the patient should be cleaned with soap/detergent and water wearing gloves. The utensils and dishes may be re-used.
      • Clean hands after taking off gloves or handling used items. Use triple layer medical mask and disposable gloves while cleaning or handling surfaces, clothing or linen used by the patient.
      • Perform hand hygiene before and after removing gloves.

 

 

1. 4. Biomedical Waste disposal

 

• • • Effective waste disposal shall be ensured so as to prevent further spread of infection within household. The waste (masks, disposable items, food packets etc.) should be disposed of as per CPCB guidelines (available at: http://cpcbenvis.nic.in/pdf/1595918059_mediaphoto2009.pdf)

 

4. Treatment for patients with mild /asymptomatic disease in home isolation

 

1. 1. Patients must be in communication with a treating physician and promptly report in case of any deterioration.
   2. Continue the medications for other co-morbid illness after consulting the treating physician.
   3. Patients to follow symptomatic management for fever, running nose and cough, as warranted.
   4. Patients may perform warm water gargles or take steam inhalation twice a day.
   5. If fever is not controlled with a maximum dose of Tab. Paracetamol 650mg four times a day, consult the treating doctor who may consider advising other drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (ex: Tab. Naproxen 250 mg twice a day).
   6. Consider Tab Ivermectin (200 mcg/kg once a day, to be taken empty stomach) for 3 to 5 days.

 

1. 7. Inhalational Budesonide (given via inhalers with spacer at a dose of 800 mcg twice daily for 5 to 7 days) to be given if symptoms (fever and/or cough) are persistent beyond 5 days of disease onset.
   8. The decision to administer Remdesivir or any other investigational therapy must be taken by a medical professional and administered only in a hospital setting. Do not attempt to procure or administer Remdesivir at home.
   9. Systemic oral steroids not indicated in mild disease. If symptoms persist beyond 7 days (persistent fever, worsening cough etc.) consult the treating doctor for treatment with low dose oral steroids.
   10. In case of falling oxygen saturation or shortness of breath, the person should require hospital admission and seek immediate consultation of their treating physician/surveillance team.

 

5. When to seek medical attention

 

Patient / Care giver will keep monitoring their health. Immediate medical attention must be sought if serious signs or symptoms develop. These could include-

 

1. 1. Difficulty in breathing,
   2. Dip in oxygen saturation (SpO2 < 94% on room air)
   3. Persistent pain/pressure in the chest,
   4. Mental confusion

 

6. When to discontinue home isolation

 

Patient under home isolation will stand discharged and end isolation after at least 10 days have passed from onset of symptoms (or from date of sampling for asymptomatic cases) and no fever for 3 days.

 

There   is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over.

 

7. Role of State/District Health Authorities

 

1. 1. States/ Districts should monitor all cases under home isolation.
   2. The health status of those under home isolation should be monitored by the field staff/surveillance teams through personal visit along with a dedicated call centre to follow up the patients on daily basis.
   3. The clinical status of each case shall be recorded by the field staff/call centre (body temperature, pulse rate and oxygen saturation). The field staff will guide the patient on measuring these parameters and provide the instructions (for patients and their care givers). This mechanism to daily monitor those under home isolation shall be strictly adhered to.
   4. Details about patients under home isolation should also be updated on COVID-19 portal and facility app (with DSO as user). Senior State and District officials should monitor the records updation.
   5. A mechanism to shift patient in case of violation or need for treatment has to be established and implemented. Sufficient dedicated ambulances for the same shall be organised. Wide publicity for the same shall also be given to the community.
   6. All family members and close contacts shall be monitored and tested as per protocol by the field staff.

 

Press Statement dated 28.04.2021 by the Joint Platform of CITUs and Sectoral Federations and Associations

 Trade Unions write to the Prime Minister

Deplore callous attitude of government in handling covid 19 crises

Calls for observing May Day Against the anti worker, anti farmer, anti people policies of the Government

The online meeting of Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations held on 28^th April 2021 expressed grave concern at the cruel insensitivity of the Government at the centre in addressing and combating the second wave of the Covid Pandemic. The alarming country wide surge of this second wave of Covid has thrown the lives of the people, working people in particulars in total jeopardy. The daily infection count has already crossed 3 lakhs and is estimated to grow further in the coming days. Number of daily deaths too has surged. A substantial part of deaths are preventable, being caused due to non-availability of basic infrastructure, oxygen, hospital beds and essential medicines. The CTUs and Sectoral Federations/Associations have written to the Prime Minister(The letter attached)

In the midst of such grave humanitarian crisis, the Central government ridiculously draws satisfaction over overcoming the crisis under the leadership of Narendra Modi! The Union Finance Minister has made mindless self congratulatory statement that their programme of privatisation/disinvestment is on track and in progress!

Caught unprepared, despite the warning about a second country wide wave,  the Central government is now trying to blame the people, the state governments and everybody except itself for the surge of casualty with much more intensity and speed. The reprimand of EC by some High Courts has Vindicated the stand of Trade Unions having taken time to time. Now only the order has come not to organise any rally, celebration from 2^nd to 15th may in the election bound states.                                                             

There is serious shortage of vaccines, testing facilities, hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen, medicines and above all trained personnel – doctors, nurses and other medical staff. The front line workers and employees are overworked and lack adequate protection. Instead of addressing these serious issues, BJP leaders including union ministers are engaged in shifting the responsibility to the state governments and indulging in blame games.

In the midst of this, the vaccine policy announced by the government puts corporate profits above the precious lives of people. Today, it is crucial to strictly regulate, under direct government supervision, the entire vaccination process to ensure that the entire population is vaccinated within a definite time frame. Vaccine production must be urgently scaled up; it must be imported as necessary. But the government is shamelessly succumbing to the profit hungry international drug mafia and liberalised vaccine sales. The new vaccine policy liberalises the vaccine sale by deregulating the prices through a discriminatory process that too without taking any concrete measures for augmenting availability.

States are not given the promised doses of vaccines. This has severely affected the first phase of vaccination itself. The new vaccine policy of Modi government stipulates that the state governments have to procure the vaccines from the open market with higher price of Rs 400/Rs 600 per dose as announced by the two vaccine companies in India. They will be thrown into unhealthy competition with each other and also with the private sector hospitals which are also free to procure the vaccines at Rs 600/ Rs 1200. More such notorious announcements are expected to pour in the days to come with the Govt-corporate nexus. It is atrocious that the Serum Institute which has announced Rs 400 per dose of vaccine for the state governments and Rs 600 for private hospitals in India.

Covisheild is priced at 1.78 Euro (Rs 160) in Europe and at $4 (Rs 300) in the US and Bangladesh, at Rs.237 in Brazil, at Rs. 226 in UK

This  pro-corporate deregulation on vaccine and other essential ingredients of pandemic management will further facilitate hoarding and black marketing which is already going on in case of essential medicines like Remdesivir and oxygen. Overwhelming majority of our people who cannot afford the huge price of the vaccine would be excluded. Policies of exclusion have now become the hallmark of the Central government.    

The local and regional lockdowns and curfews being imposed in several states are creating uncertainties about the work and income among the working people, the migrant workers and workers in the unorganised sector in particular. Reminiscent of the migrant workers’ march around one year back, migrant workers are again heading to their native places. None of the orders under Disaster Management Act issued so far by various authorities on curfew or scaling down of operation by industry etc had cared to concretely direct the employers to protect employment/livelihood of workers, their incomes and residences. It is again an attempt by the governments, as last year, to sacrifice the lives and livelihood of the workers and the toiling people to safeguard the interests of the employers’ class.  

The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations demands the government to withdraw the new pro-corporate as well as discriminatory vaccine policy and take immediate measures to ensure 100% procurement of the vaccine, adequate supply of vaccines to the states, free of cost, utilising the PM care fund. The government, sufficiently empowered by Disaster Management Act must not abdicate its responsibility of prioritising protection of the lives of the people during this grave pandemic, over profiteering by vaccine-pharmaceutical barons.

The joint platform of Central trade unions and Federations point out that it is the public sector companies that are, as ever, coming to the rescue of the nation in this critical situation. It is the public sector steel companies that are producing and supplying oxygen; it is the Indian Railways that is transporting Oxygen to the needy states. We also remind the government that it was the public sector financial institutions in our country that have protected the country against the 2008 world crisis. The joint platform of trade unions demand that the government must immediately stop its mindless privatisation drive. We demand that immediate measures be taken to strengthen the existing public sector medicine and oxygen production units which are already playing a frontline role in producing/supplying oxygen and other necessities and establish new ones to ensure universal and comprehensive public health care.

The Joint Platform also demands that the Govt must ensure that any order issued by any authorities under Disaster Management Act imposing restrictions in movement, curfew etc must accompany strict enforceable orders to all employers and all concerned banning retrenchment, wage-cut and eviction from residences etc. It cannot be just an advisory but a stringently enforceable direction and the Disaster Management Act adequately empowers the Govt to issue such orders and enforce.

The Joint Platform calls upon the workers and toiling people to observe the forthcoming May Day, the international working class solidarity day through jointly organizing agitation in as many locations throughout the country to press for the following demands, while expressing solidarity with the working class movement going on throughout the world:

1.    Ramp up vaccine production and ensure universal free vaccination within a definite time frame. Ensure free supply of oxygen in the crises as in present situation.

2.    Ensure adequate hospital beds, oxygen and other medical facilities to meet the Covid surge

3.    Scrap anti-people discriminatory pro-corporate Vaccine Policy

4.    Strengthen public health infrastructure including recruiting the necessary health personnel

5.    Any order under Disaster Management Act issued by any authority imposing restrictions in movement, curfew etc must accompany strict order on all employers and all concerned banning retrenchment, wage-cut and eviction from residences etc and same must be strictly enforced.

6.    Scrap anti-worker Labour Codes and anti-people Farm Laws and Electricity Bill

7.    Stop privatization and Disinvestment

8.    Cash transfer of Rs 7500 per month for all non income tax paying families

9.    10 kg free food grains per person per month for the next six months

10.  Ensure non Covid patients get effective treatment in government hospitals

11.  Ensure availability of protective gear, equipments etc for all health and frontline workers and those engaged in pandemic-management work including ASHAs and anganwadi employees along with comprehensive insurance coverage for them all

 

Covid protocols – wearing masks, maintaining physical distance etc should be strictly followed by all our leaders, cadres, activists and members to safeguard their own health and the health of their comrades, colleagues and family members.

SB Order No. 9 - 2021 - Payment of MIS/ SCSS / TD accounts Monthly / Quarterly / Annual interest amount and maturity value of MIS / SCSS / TD / RD / KVP / NSC into account holder's Bank Account by CBS Post Offices

 CLICK HERE  to view details.

SB Order No.8 - 2021 - Regarding Basic Savings Accounts

Click Here to view details along with enclosures

Change of Working Hours in Odisha Circle till 15.05.2021 to contain spread of COVID-19

 

Creation of New Divisions / Sub Divisions

 Please Click on the followings to view details.

creation of a new Sub-Division in Bikaner Postal Division - Rajasthan Circle

creation of a new Sub-Division in Ratnagiri Division under Goa Region of Maharashtra Circle

creation of a new Sub-Division in Bhopal Postal Division of Madhya Pradesh Circle

Creation of a new Sub-Division in Chandigarh Division of Punjab Circle

Creation of a new Postal Division at Satna by bifurcation and reorganization of three Postal Divisions, namely Chhatarpur, Rewa and Shahdol Divisions in M. P. Circle

Creation of a new Postal Division namely Jaisalmer Postal Division by bifurcation of existing Jodhpur Postal Division in Western (Jodhpur) Region of Rajasthan Circle

UPU DG discusses tough challenges during pandemic

 

No one could have foreseen the exceptional global situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic said the Universal Postal Union’s Director General Bishar A. Hussein at the plenary session of the organization’s Postal Operations Council.

“[The UPU’s] biggest goal in these challenging times has been to keep the mail moving. The COVID-19 crisis has placed unprecedented pressure on the international postal network,” Mr Hussein told the representatives of member countries who sit on the POC.

 

The postal network relies heavily on passenger airlines to transport mail. International mail flows were severely affected at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the cancellation of international flights and the closure of airports.

 

Based on figures from the International Civil Aviation Organization by April 2020, the overall number of passengers fell 92 per cent compared to 2019 levels.

In 2020, overall international traffic fell by 74 per cent, a colossal total of some 1.4 billion passengers.

 

Responding to the immense disruption, the Universal Postal Union contacted postal operators and invited them to reach out to their surface cargo providers, and to focus on new transport methods, including rail, sea and road.

“The UPU has encouraged postal operators and carriers to work together and to uphold the keystone universal service obligation, which seeks to provide post to everyone on this planet,” declared Mr. Hussein.

 

To assist postal operators, Mr. Hussein said the UPU had delivered an impressive number of innovations and new methods of transport over land, sea and air. The UPU, working closely with the International Air Transport Association, also invited governments to fast-track procedures and relax restrictions to keep air-cargo supply lines open.

 

Other Innovations included new mail transport routes, and the UPU had worked closely with postal operators and railway organizations to turn the original pilot studies into a viable reality. So far, more than 20 mail-only block trains transported in excess of 8,000 tons of mail. The use of trains to deliver mail is a major success for the UPU.

 

“Surface transportation by road and sea are other effective means we have established to supplement air transport, and they are now becoming more and more important elements of the international postal network,” Mr. Hussein added.

Held as a virtual meeting this year, the POC is the technical and operational side of the UPU, and consists of 40 member countries, elected during the biennial Universal Postal Congress. The body elects its own chair and meets annually at the UPU’s headquarters in Berne. The Plenary Session was held on the last day of the POC, which started on 19 April.

 

Biden to sign minimum wage order for federal govt. workers

 Courtesy - The Hindu, dated 28.04.2021

Pregnant Women employees and Persons with Disabilities to work from home

 

Suspension of operations of POPSK till 14.05.2921in the wake of spread of COVID-19

 

Transmission and Delivery of postal mail (Speed Post, Letter, Parcel & ITPS) to foreign countries is subjected to delay due to suspension of international flights to many countries due to Covid-19 pandemic

 

NFPE Odisha State CoC writes once again to Chief PMG, Odisha / DPS (HQ) on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19

 

CGHS beneficiaries can be treated in any private hospital in case of emergency

 

Secretary (Posts) appeals all Chief Secretaries of States / UTs for vaccination to all postal employees

 

Sports activities for the year 2021-22 and inviting entries thereof

 

Discouraging decision of C O, Bhubaneswar to contain spread of COVID-19

 

Suspension of Booking for Intl. Mails for United Kingdom and Canada

Introduction of Welcome Letter while issuing a PLI / RPLI Policy to the policy holder

Submission of new membership scheduled by 30th April every year extended till 30th June, 2021 due to COVID-19

Centre guides States/UTs for Effective Implementation of New Vaccination Strategy from 1st May onwards

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Centre guides States/UTs for Effective Implementation of New Vaccination Strategy from 1st May onwards

States/UTs provided Comprehensive Action Plan for Accelerated Augmentation of their Hospital Infrastructure

Posted On: 24 APR 2021 3:30PM by PIB Delhi

Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan and Dr R S Sharma, Chairman, Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management to combat COVID-19 chaired a high-level meeting to guide the States/UTs on effective implementation of the New Vaccination Strategy (Phase-3) and to review their augmentation plans so as to strengthen the existing hospital and clinical treatment infrastructure for COVID patients.  

Dr R S Sharma noted that the CoWIN platform has now stabilized and is working at scale flawlessly. It is equipped to handle the complexities of the new phase of vaccination starting from 1st May. He highlighted the importance of uploading correct and timely data by States/UTs as any incorrect data would compromise the integrity of the entire system.           
With regards to the Phase III Vaccination strategy from 1st May 2021, the States were specifically advised to:

• Register additional private COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) in mission mode by engaging with private hospitals, hospitals of industrial establishments, Industry Associations, etc., coordinating with designated appropriate authority, mechanism for applications/requests and their processing and monitoring of pendency of registration.
• Monitor number of hospitals that have procured vaccines and have declared stocks and prices on COWIN.
• Schedule Vaccination for eligible population for providing adequate visibility of vaccination slots on COWIN.
• Prioritize Decision regarding direct procurement of vaccines by State/UT Government.
• Publicize about facility of ‘only online registration’ for age groups 18-45 year.
• Train CVC staff about Vaccination, AEFI reporting and management, Use of COWIN – Training schedule and Reconciliation of vaccine stocks have been already provided to private CVCs.
• Coordinate with law-and-order authorities for effective crowd management at CVCs.

Regarding infrastructure augmentation for effective clinical treatment of the hospitalized COVID patients, States were advised to review their existing hospital and other COVID treatment infrastructure in light of the daily new case, daily fatality and those that would require hospitalization.

To prepare and implement a Comprehensive Plan for Augmentation, the States were advised to:

• Identify additional Dedicated Covid-19 hospitals and prepare field hospital facilities either through DRDO, CSIR or similar agencies in the public and private sector.
• Ensure adequacy in terms of oxygen supported beds, ICU beds and oxygen supplies.  Setting up centralized call center-based services for allocation of beds.
• Deploy of requisite Human Resources with proper Training & mentoring of doctors and nurses for management of patients and Strengthening ambulance services.
• Establish of sufficient referral linkages for districts with deficit infrastructure through deployment of additional ambulances.
• Set up of centralized call center-based services for allocation of beds.

The States were also advised to:

• Maintain a real-time record for available beds and make is easily accessible to general public
• Create guidelines and enable states to take over private health facilities to provide COVID-19 care
• Expand designated COVID-19 care facilities for isolation of asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients so that all those who either cannot isolate at home and/or are willing for institutional isolation, have access to the requisite space and care
• Provide tele-medicine facilities for patients who are isolated at home
• Ensure adequate availability of oxygen, ventilators and intensive care under trained doctors, as well as access to steroids and other drugs as appropriate
• step up creation of in-hospital oxygen plants in large hospitals
• Pay fair and regular remuneration to ASHAs and other frontline workers who are being engaged for COVID-19

Various steps taken by the Union Government to augment hospital infrastructure in the States and UTs were reiterated, such as Union Government’s instructions to Hospitals under the control of Central departments/PSUs to set-up exclusive dedicated hospitals or separate blocks within the hospitals. The plan to set up temporary COVID Care facilities and makeshift hospitals, including ICU beds, in coordination with the DRDO and CSIR-CBRI was re-iterated. The State/UTs were guided to co-ordinate with Corporate entities/PSUs/Government Departments for their CSR funds to facilitate setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID care facilities. Cooperation with National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for repurposing healthcare facilities (spread across 18 regional offices) for creation of COVID facilities was also advised. They were also advised to use Railway Coaches for management of mild cases; details of availability of 3,816 such coaches, across 16 Zones of Railways have been shared with the States.

 

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