IT Desk
Until and unless a cure of the Covid-19 has been invented, the only way that almost all government authorities across the world are taking up is for control and containment to the spread of the virus.
When it is the need of the hour to increase health care facilities, a more important task is to take up appropriate measures to make sure that the people need not admit to the hospitals. For that every responsible government who were elected by responsible citizens in countries across the world is seen taking up preventive measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus by breaking the chain. It was the hardest time for even the best-equipped health care service across the globe like Italy, England or USA etc. during the first wave. But these countries have carefully managed to keep in control the spread of the virus by taking up various measures.
India, the 2nd most populated country in the world, acted tough when the first wave started in January last year. However, for reason best known to the government, India fails in controlling the attack by the virus during this 2nd wave.
What is ironic is that Manipur which had every opportunity to take up its own course of containing the spread of the virus besides being a part of India, due to its geographical topography always go in part to whatever is happening in other parts of the country.
Today, even the Supreme Court of India has said that the country has no proper policy for vaccination of the people. It has directed the central government to smell the taste of the coffee and to make the vaccine policy flexible.
The state of Manipur is 100% dependent state for any needs particularly when it comes to vaccine procurement. It is all right as of now that unlike any other state, the Central government has been sending vaccine needed by the state and so far Manipur still have adequate stock of vaccines. The only problem is that that so-called competent authority had failed to conduct vaccination at the maximum level. As reported yesterday so far just 3,88,761 people have got first dose Covid Vaccines while 80, 335 people got 2nd dose vaccine. These are people above 45 years plus health workers and other frontline workers of the Covid-19. The third phase vaccination programme which started on May 17 has vaccinated the first dose to just 31,777. Earlier information about giving vaccination to two-person in this age category has been excluded in the chart made available to media houses. Not even 15% of the targeted population which were supposed to be vaccinated has been conducted so far.
Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his team’s effort to control the pandemic is noticed by all. It is well and good that he had made every possible action to make sure that there is no shortage of Oxygen in the state. But till today, there is not enough Oxygen being supply to hospitals in need. RIMS, JNIMS, and other private hospitals still lack adequate Oxygen supply. Sources said that the Oxygen stock in the state at present is enough to manage for now, but for reasons not known to the public or those health service providers, some government hospitals are not allotted with Oxygen demand that they required, forget about keeping extra stock in the hospital.
In connection with the Home Isolation of Covid-19 positive cases, the government is yet to review the matter as Manipur is not Delhi or Gujarat.
In Manipur’s society, home isolation for Covid-19 positive cases is just an excused. Except at some part of the greater Imphal area or to some families, it is next to impossible for a covid19 positive person to remain in self-isolation. 90% of the family in the Urban or rural areas live together sharing the same bathroom, or nearly 80 % share rooms without a proper partition with their near and dear ones. And moreover, almost all family members were often driven by sentiments and emotions and sometimes they dare the covid-19 just to show their care and love to the infected family members.
Encouraging home isolation, at a time when the virus is spreading fast at the community level is more like putting all in the dungeon of death.
A matter that the govt. need to ponder.
