(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – The Ministry of Health has taken a number of tough decisions to control the spreading of COVID-19 coronavirus in the country again.
As there is an increased risk of COVID-19 spreading in the country again due to the public behavior during the recent festive season, Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Special Action Task Force Review Committee on the instructions of the President to suppress the COVID-19 from spreading.
The Special Action Task Force Review Committee comprises medical administrators, administrative staff, specialist physicians and professors. Accordingly, many decisions including the following were taken during the meeting.
• Increase bed capacity in intensive care units, provide high flow oxygen needed for Covid patients.
• Strengthen the data collection system and provide more personal protective clothing for medical staff, including doctors and nurses.
• Make plans to refer patients who have been diagnosed with Covid infection to the appropriate hospitals individually according to their medical conditions.
• Identify more hospitals at the local and district level to treat Covid patients in the future and provide them with the necessary medical facilities.
• Maintain strong outpatient and inpatient care services and surgeries provided to patients who are hospitalized for other ailments on a daily basis while maintaining treatment services for Covid patients.
• Increase the number of PCR tests to a minimum of 15,000 per day.
• Strict enforcement of quarantine law, strict enforcement and punishment of violators of quarantine laws.
Formulation of special quarantine laws for immigrants.
State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Additional Secretaries and Deputy Directors General, Specialists and other officials were present on the occasion.
