Covid-19 Pandemic: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended the Indian state of Odisha and its administration for  its Covid-19 management despite being doubly troubled by Cyclone Amphan and migrant labourers issue.

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The organisation’s website hosts  an article titled "From governance to community resilience: Odisha's response to COVID-19" which hails the Naveen Patnaik government of the state for the measures it took to contain the spread, and also to effectively manage the patients.

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The article throws light on how the state, which was hit by ravaging cyclones while it was already dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, managed the situation effectively.

Here are a few points from the article lauding the Odisha management of Coronavirus:

  • “Evacuating the stranded people safely while adhering to social distancing measures was challenging but the state's experience in disaster management helped in managing the situation.”

  • “ Effective governance in collaboration with Panchayati Raj Institutions and community-based response strategy enabled the resilient state to contain the spread of the virus."

  • The article added that the state's COVID-19 management strategy offers key insights into how to keep the caseload low despite the influx of migrants.

  • It also highlights other key features that resulted in a low number of cases, including Odisha being the first state to order the closure of many public places on March 13 even though the state had not a single reported case.

  • Further, when the first case was reported on March 15, "the state control rooms had been made operational; and capacity building of the district level health officials on preparedness and response activities, and public awareness campaigns on handwashing and respiratory etiquettes were already initiated."

  • The article also hails the decision to lay down a strong governance framework with an Empowered Group of Ministers for fast decision making and allocation of dedicated teams for ensuring social distancing, capacity building, isolation, treatment, and for running awareness campaigns.

  • The state also received praises from Dr Nihar Ray, sub-regional team leader, Odisha, WHO Country Office for India, for setting up the country's first 1,000 bedded dedicated COVID hospital within a record time frame of one week, with the Kalinga Institute of Medical Science and SUM Hospital established as model COVID hospitals, along with 30 dedicated district COVID hospitals (DCH) set up in all districts.

  • Out of these, 17 hospitals are functioning in tripartite agreement with the government, private hospitals and finance corporations.
    "By the end of May 2020, the state managed to build a robust infrastructure with a capacity of 22,340 beds in the dedicated COVID health facilities, with an occupancy rate of only 8.86 per cent as of June 28, 2020.

  • “The assessment of infection prevention and control (IPC) parameters of COVID and non-COVID hospitals helped in adherence to the IPC protocols in major health facilities.”

  • The private sector was roped in to expand the surveillance to track Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses (SARI) cases which helped in identifying and isolating the risk groups.

  • The government also deployed additional teams comprising administrative service officials, doctors, lab technicians and police personnel in high-risk districts.



(inputs from ANI)