Union Minister warns against 'self-styled' remedies for Covid

New Delhi : Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday warned against "self-styled" remedies to treat Covid-19 and advised professional medical consultation for infected persons.

The Minister also asked the people not to share information on Covid remedies without checking the facts.

He made the remarks while conducting a Covid awareness programme for officers and staff of the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry here.

Laying stress on speedy vaccination for all the officers and staff of DoNER, he directed the senior officials to organise special camps in the Ministry at the earliest in a people-friendly manner.

The Minister also asked them to explore the possibilities of vaccination of family members and staff at such camps and also emphasised that along with medical and administrative measures, community management of Covid is equally important. He also called for creation of awareness about unnecessary hoarding of essential drugs and oxygen.

The Minister said that he is taking daily updates from all the eight northeastern states about the prevalence of Covid and necessary heath facilities and infrastructure to fight the pandemic in an effective manner. He expressed satisfaction that all these states have sufficient oxygen stock and new plants are also being set up on a war footing.

Singh asked the northeastern states to send Covid and health related proposals on a priority basis and promised speedy disposal of such proposals at the Centre. He said that the Ministry will soon revert back to fresh proposals received from Manipur and Mizoram regarding setting up of 100 bedded hospitals to augment their capacity.

The Minister also said a Rs 25 crore fund, given to northeastern states last March for gap funding to fight the Covid-19 outbreak effectively, has proved a boon for many states for purchase of vital health equipment in many hospitals.

Senior Resident Doctor from AIIMS, Dr Laxman made a detailed presentation before the officers and staff about Covid protocols like masks, social distancing and hand hygiene and other safety measures. He also made a plea for early vaccination, without unnecessarily worrying about the type of vaccine.