Testing, tracing need to be enhanced, hospital burden to be reduced: Tope
   Date :25-Sep-2020

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Principal Correspondent :
 
Expressing the need for more testing and tracing the close contacts, Maharashtra Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, “The burden on hospitals should be reduced. Rise in number of coronavirus positive cases in Nagpur district and around is a cause of concern. It is to be brought under control. The conclusion that can be drawn out of video conferencing with Prime Minister is testings are to be increased and tracing of close contacts of positive patients is to be emphasized. More stress should be given on putting people under home isolation than to be sent to hospital unnecessarily.”
 
Tope was interacting with the mediapersons at Nagpur’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International airport on Thursday before leaving for Bhandara and Gondia. Tope pointed out that, in number of cases, it was found that people are testing positive though their antigen test comes negative. Against that backdrop, RT PCR tests should be conducted. Tope said, “Due to less testing we may not be able to notice the Covid-19 infectivity. In State, we are maintaining average testing of 40,000 per million.
 
In some of the districts that average is not being maintained, there the number of tests should be increased. Secondly, in most of the districts, we have failed to do tracing per every single patient that is paving the way for rise in invection of this dreaded virus.” When pointed out that Health Department had ignored Nagpur as far as coronavirus is concerned, Tope refused to accept the same. He explained, “We are taking care of every single district in State and Nagpur is no exception.
 
We are keeping close vigil and taking stock of the situation daily. Our efforts is to reduce the number of deaths for which oxygen beds are to be added in the existing strength.” When it was brought to his notice about the exorbitant charging by private hospitals, Tope made it clear, “We have done the capping of the rates. We also have empowered Collector and Commissioner regarding applying the health schemes like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jana Aarogya Yojana. The hospitals charging more than the prescribed rate, the authorities will impose fine on them which will be five times of the rate.