Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with doctors and officials of Varanasi today through video conference.

During the interaction, the doctors and officials of Varanasi thanked the Prime Minister for his continuous and  proactive leadership that helped in ramping up health infrastructure and ensured adequate supply of necessary medications and critical equipment like ventilators and oxygen concentrators. The Prime Minister was informed about the efforts undertaken in the last one month to contain the spread of Covid, vaccination status, and the ongoing steps and plans to prepare the district for future challenges. The doctors also informed the Prime Minister that they have been vigilant about the threat of Mucormycosis and have already taken steps and created facilities for the management of the disease.

The Prime Minister underscored the importance of continuous training of the manpower fighting Covid and advised the officials and doctors to conduct training sessions and webinars, especially for the paramedical staff and doctors serving in the rural areas. He also asked the officials to work towards bringing down vaccine wastage in the district.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister commended the work done by the doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys, ambulance drivers and other frontline health workers of Kashi. He paid tributes to all those who lost their loved ones. He praised the speed with which the number of oxygen and ICU beds has been increased in such a short time in Banaras and the way the Pandit Rajan Mishra Kovid Hospital has been activated at such a short notice. He expressed happiness that the Integrated Covid command system in Varanasi worked very well and said Varanasi's example inspires the world.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of the medical team in containing the epidemic to a great extent. He also urged against complacency and urged them to engage in fighting a long battle right now by focusing on the rural areas of Benaras and Purvanchal. He said that the plans that have been made and the campaigns that have been run in our country in the last few years, have helped a lot in fighting Corona. Initiatives like the toilets built under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the free treatment facilities under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, the gas cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme, the Jan Dhan bank accounts or the Fit India campaign, awareness of Yoga and AYUSH have increased the strength of the people in the fight against Corona.

The Prime Minister provided a new mantra in Covid Management : ‘Jahan Bimar Wahan Upchar'. He remarked that bringing the treatment to the patient’s doorstep will reduce the burden on the health system. The Prime Minister also hailed the initiative of micro containment zones and appreciated the home delivery of medicines. He requested the health workers to make this campaign as comprehensive as possible in rural areas. He said bringing doctors, labs and e-marketing companies together to provide a tele-medicine facility named 'Kashi Kavach' is also a very innovative initiative.

The Prime Minister emphasized the important role played by ASHA and ANM sisters in the ongoing war against COVID-19 in the villages and urged the health officials to take maximum advantage of their potential and experience. He added that during this second wave, the front line workers have been able to serve the people safely because they were already vaccinated. He urged everyone to administer the vaccine when their turn comes.

The Prime Minister gave the example of substantial control of ‘encephalitis cases in children’ in the Purvanchal region due to active efforts of the UP government and urged the officials and doctors to work with the same sensitivity and vigilance. He cautioned against the new challenge posed by Black Fungus in the battle against the pandemic. He added that it is important to pay attention to the precautions and arrangements required to deal with it.

The Prime Minister hailed the leadership provided by public representatives of Varanasi in the fight against Covid. He urged the public representatives to remain connected with the public and advised them to show full sensitivity towards their concern despite criticisms. He added that if any citizen has any grievance, then it is the responsibility of the public representatives to be concerned about it. He also praised the people of Varanasi for keeping the promise of maintaining the city clean.

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DS/AK