Treatment at community health centres, district hospitals will be free, official said (Representational)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked senior officials to ensure door-to-door delivery of essential commodities to people to help them stay indoors amid the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The chief minister gave this instructions at a meeting with senior officials held to review the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.
"The chief minister held a meeting with senior officials and reviewed the situation arising out of the coronavirus spread and the countrywide lockdown to stem it. He emphasised upon ensuring door-step delivery of essential commodities to people to save them from inconvenience and to help them stay indoors," Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) Awanish Awasthi told reporters.
He said the government had pressed into service 12,133 delivery vehicles, including vans and e-rickshaws till 3 pm on Wednesday, and more work is on to ensure this.
He said the government is also contemplating to start community kitchen to supply eatables to labourers and poor during the 21-day lockdown, slated to last till April 14.
Elaborating on the government's initiative to check the spread of coronavirus, he said, "Through the chief minister helpline, over 10,000 village heads were contacted and were advised to keep an eye on any person in the village with history of travel abroad. They have been asked to inform health department teams in such situation."
Principal Secreatry (Health) Amit Mohan said the government is making three-tier arrangement to treat corona cases.
"Community health centres, district hospitals and specialised institutions like SGPGI, KGMU etc are being prepared to deal with of suspected cases. The treatment will be given free of cost in these centres," he said, adding that emergency services in hospitals will continue as usual.