Andaman’s COVID19 crisis; Former MP urges for help from JP Nadda

Port Blair, Aug 20 : Reacting to sudden spike in corona cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the former Member of Parliament, A & N Islands, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray has written a letter to the National President of BJP, Mr. J P Nadda and urged immediate help for the Islands.

 

In his letter Mr JP Nadda, Mr Ray said that the COVID situation in the islands is alarming now and the spread in the main South andaman island is almost absolute. In the absence of limited testing, the correct picture is not coming out and as a result, the plan of containment has failed terribly here.

 

“Considering the weak health infrastructure in these Islands, a detailed plan had to be in place. Our isles, being remote and distant, provided an excellent opportunity to contain the spread by merely having a plan in place. It appears that no plan of action was ever prepared or atleast not in the knowledge of the public or the elected representatives, which has resulted in the current situation where a number of lives have already been lost including some very young in age,” he added in his letter.

 

Giving details about the present crisis he said that G B Pant Hospital of Port Blair, being the only referral hospital of these islands should not have been designated as a dedicated Covid19 Hospital.

 

“This has now resulted in people with other ailments having nowhere to go for treatment. Administration had ample of time from February 2020 to earmark some other CHC/PHC as dedicated Covid19 Hospital but rather than doing that a very easy way was found out to convert the only referral hospital G B Pant Hospital,” he added.

 

He alleged that now every ward of G B Pant Hospital is infected with Covid 19 and most of the staffs, Junior doctors and interns are infected with Covid 19.

 

“Every post caesarean section patient is turning out to be Covid 19 positive. Already 28 deaths due to Covid 19  have happened and counting. Many patients are in critical condition due to Covid 19 and are on ventilator,” he said.

 

He mentioned that most of the offices in Andaman are closed including those involved directly in the fight are badly crippled due to widespread infection of the officers and workers etc. Even in Raj Niwas, many IAS officers and other corona warriors have not escaped infection.

 

The former Member of Parliament urged Mr. Nadda to immediately depute a central team to take stock and preparing a plan to contain further spread and to strengthen the weak health infra

 

Attacking the present batch of Bureaucrats in Andaman he demanded to transfer officers, who have completed 2yrs in Andaman, so that new officers can come and work with new energy.

 

Among other demands, he asked for minimum 10 Ambulance and two air ambulances from Pawan Hans, Linking one hospital at Chennai or Kolkata for treatment of other serious ailments like heart, kidney, cancer orthopaedic surgeries.

 

Mr. Ray demanded to connect Andamans to the national telemedicine network and Deputation of Doctors from AIIMS for 3months.

 

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