Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Tuesday continued distributing Ration and other necessary items among needy and poor families of Gandhi Nagar Constituency at Quasim Nagar Shake Nagar. Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla include Diwan Chand, Distt General Secretary Aman Bawa, Iqbal Singh, Bunty Pardan, Pintu Kumar, Madam Sumitra, Madam Anju beside others. Bhalla on Tuesday appreciated various organisations and agencies continuing to undertake donation drives to help the underprivileged and needy with food and other essential commodities during the lockdown. But it is unfortunate that some people continue to defy the curfew orders by unnecessarily commuting on roads. Moreover, they are defeating the social distancing concept.
Throughout the country, hospitals and medical staff are working round the clock to check the spread of Covid-19. Bhalla demanded adequate arrangements for providing essential items such as milk, curd, cheese, vegetables, fruits, dry ration and medicines on the doorsteps of residents. NGOs and religious bodies are extending a helping hand to the government in this time of crisis. But the daily wagers and people living the below poverty line are the worst-hit. Government has announced financial help for the registered labourers and workers, but nothing has been announced for the benefit of casual, unregistered and unorganised labourers. These people also need immediate help. General public is facing a lot of difficulties in getting essential items. The situation is even worse in villages and small towns. Necessary steps must be taken immediately to ensure that the people stranded inside their houses due to curfew do not face any hardship. The government machinery and general public must cooperate with each other during this crucial period. Most importantly, the administration must ensure that people are not exploited and fleeced by shopkeepers by creating artificial scarcity of essential items. The government must handle hoarders strictly, Bhalla added.
Each one of us should contribute our bit towards fighting the coronavirus by just staying at home. We, as individuals, should understand the intensity and direness of this situation we are in. each one of us should contribute our bit towards fighting the coronavirus by just staying at home. We, as individuals, should understand the intensity and direness of this situation we are in,Bhalla added. We should keep on mind that unusual times need unusual efforts. In this hapless situation, the cooperation of people with the administration and the health authorities is a must. Residents should follow the government advisory on this. Though the curfew imposed by the state government as a precautionary measure is causing some inconvenience to people, people must extend their full support to the government, especially the Health Department, in its efforts to check the spread of Covid. The district administration needs to ensure that public awareness campaigns, as claimed by it, are carried out at the grassroots level. These should not remain on papers only. In nutshell, joint efforts of public, administration and health authorities can help mitigate the effects of Covid-19 pandemic, maintained Bhalla.
Former Minister has raised concerns about the lack of proper and adequate personnel protection gears and safety equipment like N95 masks, PVC coated gowns and goggles for Doctors in government-run hospitals and medical health workers in J&K, involved in testing and screenings of suspected cases of COVID-19 pandemic. Bhalla appealed Govt to kindly make arrangements to supply protective gear for the doctors, nurses and other paramedical and supportive staff, so that they work without any apprehensions in health facilities.There is indeed a shortage of protective gear for healthcare personnel. PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) needed by doctors and paramedics must be available in good number. Bhalla advised the administration to mobilise nurses and doctors under training in various institutes to deal with the shortage of medical personnel. Bhalla asked authorities to take this issue seriously. Doctors, Nurses and other Paramedical and supportive staff giving their best but they need protective measures as lack of protective gear puts our lives as well as lives of patients at risk,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla speaking on the occasion urged the J&K government not to snatch livelihood of para-medical staff at a time when they are needed the most as front line respondents to fight battle against deadly Coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir.Bhalla urged the Lieutenant Governor G.S Murmu to personally intervene into the matter and order immediate revocation of the termination order number 01 of GMCK of 2020 dated April 3, 2020.He said the disengagement of the para-medical staff by the Medical College Kathua would have devastating effects on their families who have put in all their resources and barely managed to give professional trainings to their children. “To fight the deadly Coronavirus disease, we need to have a robust healthcare system and adequate manpower. When the healthcare system in J&K is already running on crutches, the disengagement of paramedical staff means putting the lives of people at stake,” he remarked.Bhalla said that instead of disengaging the para-medical staff, the Governor led administration should regularize all the casual, seasonal, ad-hoc, contractual, need-based and daily-rated workers, who are working in different departments for years together.