No.13/2020-2021
In the video conferencing of the Union Health Minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan with all State Health Ministers and Health Department officials today, the current situation faced all over the country due to COVID-19, the steps taken for prevention and medical care as well as medical essentials for each state were thoroughly discussed.
During the video conference, Mizoram's Health Minister Dr.R.Lalthangliana, while apprising the Union Minister about the all-out efforts of the state in tackling the novel coronavirus, he also spoke of the problems being faced in procuring rapid antibody test kits and trunat test kits to help accelerate testing of samples for Covid-19 in the state. He also informed that in Mizoram, testing of samples had started on 7th April at the Zoram Medical College (ZMC). He thanked the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune as the Testing Lab at ZMC could be started under their aegis and cooperation.
Health Minister Dr.R.Lalthangliana also voiced concern that Mizoram could be quite susceptible to the spread of COVID-19 as it shared a very long international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh and inter-state borders with Assam, Manipur and Tripura. He urged the Ministry of Health to provide adequate PCR test kits and adequate ICU facilities in all district hospitals too. Other immediate needs the Minister also mentioned were ice-lined refrigerators(ILR) or deep freezers for storing samples, lack of microbiologists, epidemiologists and basic life-support ambulances for various districts. He also requested for funds under National Health Mission for setting up Covid Care Centre (CCC), Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) and Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH) in the state.
Straight after the video conferencing, the Health Minister Dr. R. Lalthangliana duly sent an official letter seeking the Centre’s help to improve health infrastructures in the state and to fight the spread of novel coronavirus. Also present at today's conference were Health Secretary Pu H.Lalengmawia, Mission Director NHM Dr Eric Zomawia, and State Nodal Officer for COVID-19 Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma.
The Health Minister alongwith the Health officials also did the rounds of Aizawl this afternoon, visiting the Local Task Forces and police on duty at various localities of the city. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation for their hard work and dedication towards the safety and security of the public during this hard time.
