Finance
By: Shree1news, 02 MAY 2021
The Centre may ask medical students, together with final-year students of MBBS, to help India battle coronavirus crisis, as per government sources, amid a scarcity of healthcare personnel as India battles the second wave of Covid-19.
According to sources, steps to incentivise students and pass-outs of medical and nursing courses to join the Covid-19 duty had been taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
In the meeting, the PM reviewed the human resource situation in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and ways to augment it, sources said.
“In the meeting, many steps to incentivise students and pass-outs of medical and nursing courses to join Covid duty had been taken, details of which will come out tomorrow,” sources stated.
“Decisions may include delaying the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and incentivising MBBS pass-outs studying for it to join Covid duty. The decisions can also include utilising the services of final yr MBBS and nursing students in Covid Duty. Medical personnel on Covid-19 duty will be given preference in government recruitment as well as a financial incentive,” sources added.
The meeting came amid reports of healthcare personnel feeling overwhelmed in some parts of the nation because of the surge in the Covid-19 cases, with testing facilities also being under a strain.
Fighting a devastating second wave of Covid-19, India on Sunday reported its highest single-day toll of 3,689 Covid deaths. The country also saw a slight dip in the daily numbers with 3,92,488 new instances reported in the 24 hours.
The government expects to make 10,000 oxygenated beds available in a short time period by making temporary hospitals near industrial units which produce oxygen of requisite purity to boost the provision of the life-saving fuel to combat Covid-19.
Following meetings held by PM Modi on Sunday to review the Covid-19 situation, a statement mentioned the government has additionally explored the feasibility of conversion of existing nitrogen plants to provide oxygen, and numerous such potential industries where the existing nitrogen plants may be spared for production of oxygen were identified.
After a meeting on the usage of gaseous oxygen, the government noted that many industries like steel plants, refineries with petrochemical units, industries using rich combustion processes and power plants amongst others have oxygen plants that produce gaseous oxygen.
“This oxygen might be tapped for medical use,” it stated.
The strategy being used is to identify industrial units which produce gaseous oxygen of requisite purity, shortlist these that are nearer to cities, dense areas and demand centres and set up temporary Covid care establishments with oxygenated beds near that source.
A pilot for 5 such facilities had already been initiated, the federal government mentioned. “It’s anticipated that round 10,000 oxygenated beds might be made obtainable in a brief time period by making short-term hospitals close to such crops. State governments are being inspired to arrange extra such facilities with oxygenated beds to deal with the pandemic,” it added.
Source:A-N
