Fifteen medical and paramedical personnel in the Government General Hospital here contracting COVID-19 in the first week of April while treating a patient from Hindupur (who died later) was an error of judgment committed by the staff in assessing the patient’s health status, said Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath on Friday.
After holding a three-hour review on the situation in the district, Mr. Rajendranath said such mistakes do happen, that too at a time when none was conversant with the behaviour of the disease, but there was no shortage of the personal protection equipment (PPEs), or N-95 masks.
“We have sufficient PPEs, but there is no excess to splurge at the moment,” the Minister said, and assured the medical and paramedical staff that they would be provided all protective gear essential for each and every activity, including for those who work in the isolation wards.
Order had been placed and there was an all-round shortage of these materials, hence there was a delay in the arrival of stocks. “But we have made local arrangements for manufacturing these with alternative material,” the Minister said at a press conference.
He also said that the government was preparing to expand the testing facility in Anantapur and set up a new one in Kurnool. The ICMR protocols did not allow the results to be declared within two days, but now it was possible within 24 hours, he observed.
The Minister appreciated the government staff of various departments for working with dedication.
BC Welfare Minister M. Sankaranarayana and district Collector Gandham Chandrudu along with MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy were present at the meet. s
