Bhubaneswar: Secretary to Chief Minister 5T VK Pandian today visited Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts in order to inspect COVID hospitals and review the preparedness of the districts to tackle COVID-19 situation.
Pandian is accompanied by the Development Commissioner cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Convergence Department Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, and other senior officials.
The team’s itinerary includes a visit to 100-bedded COVID Hospital at JKPur in Rayagada. Pandian instructed Rayagada Collector for construction of ICU in the hospital. Pandian and co will also inspect COVID Hospital at a hostel of Centurion University in Gajapati district.
In Ganjam, which is by far the worst affected district with 261 active cases, Pandian will visit COVID care centres, interact with the district and block level officials. He along with other senior officials will visit Shergada, Hinjili, Kabisurjyanagar, Aska, Polsara and Berhampur.
Notably, Pandian always ensures to make field visits and see the implementation of the instructions given by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. On May 6, Pandian and team visited Puri district and Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts on May 1. On April 23, Mohapatra had also accompanied the Secretary to CM and had visited Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur districts.
Before that, on April 18 he along with Chief Secretary to the Odisha Government Asit Tripathy had paid a visit to COVID hospitals in Balangir, Bargarh, Subarnapur and Kandhamal. A day ago, i.e. on April 17, he had similarly inspected COVID-19 preparedness in Angul, Dhenkanal and Jagatsinghpur districts.
These were preceded by a visit to Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts the day before, i.e. on April 16. On April 15, he had paid a visit to the hospitals in the districts of Sambalpur and Kalahandi. Earlier this month, he had visited Kendrapada, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts to oversee COVID-19 Hospital arrangements there.
It is worthwhile to mention that the Chief Minister has directed to set up Odisha COVID Hospitals in every district by next week with a plan to set up 36 hospitals with a combined bed capacity of 6000, as the State races ahead in its preparedness to provide top-notch treatment to people infected with the novel coronavirus.