ISCCM highlights need for Government to set up critical care units at grassroots level

The Indian Society for Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) on Saturday, October 9, urged the central government to set up fully functional critical care units at district and taluka level in the country, according to ANI. The ISCCM stated that intensive care should be made accessible and affordable to people. During their 28th foundation day, the ISCCM highlighted the importance of critical care units in hospitals amid the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Setting up critical care units in India

Indian Society for Critical Care Medicine President Dr Deepak Govil stressed that the country was witnessing a "huge deficit" in critical care specialists, nurses and technicians, according to ANI. Furthermore, he informed that this was showcased amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, he underlined the need for fully functional intensive care units in the country.

"There is a huge deficit in critical care specialists, nurses and technicians in the country and this fact has come glaringly to the forefront in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," ANI quoted ISCCM President Dr Deepak Govil as saying.

Govil urged the government to set up fully functional intensive care units at district and taluka levels. Govil added that the trained healthcare employees should be deployed in these intensive care units in order to handle the pressure at the tertiary care centres, as per ANI. The Indian Society for Critical Care Medicine highlighted that critical care units act as lifelines for saving patients. 

"The Government of India needs to look into setting up of fully functional state of art ICUs at district and taluka levels with trained personnel manning them at the earliest, to take the pressure off teritiary care centres. Intensive care should be made more accessible and affordable to the common man," ANI quoted Dr Deepak Govil as saying.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on October 9 reviewed the progress of COVID vaccination drives with representatives of 19 states. Mandaviya highlighted the importance of following COVID protocols during festivals, according to the ministry's statement. He warned that COVID-19 containment could get derailed if festivals are celebrated without following the pandemic protection measures and urged the 19 states to accelerate the vaccination drives. Officials of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal took part in the meeting with the Health Minister.

Image: PTI

Inputs from ANI