Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Amid the surging COVID-19 cases, Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar on Saturday said 2,000 more nurses have been appointed to cater to requirements in state-run hospitals in Chennai and nearby districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallurand Chengelpet.
Also, he said as many as 81 rapid response mobile medical teams have been deployed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kanchpeepuram districts today in addition to the 173 mobile health teams already on the job in the Greater Chennai Corporation areas.
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While 61 teams are for Chennai, 10 will be in Chengelpet and five each in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, the Minister told reporters.
Such mobile teams, which includes ambulances and vans equipped to cater to healthcare requirements like testing and dispensing drugs, have been mobilised from across the state by the Health Department, he said.
These vehicles will be deployed for use in holding fever camps and shifting positive patients to health facilities in Chennai and three nearby districts, he said.
Alongside increasing bed capacity in government hospitals, an adequate number of health personnel including doctors and nurses were being appointed, he said.
As part of capacity addition, the National Institute for Ageing and the Government Ophthalmic Hospital both in Chennai have come up with 500 and 300 beds respectively, the Minister pointed out.
According to the government, there are 4,900 beds in four government medical college hospitals besides the ESI Hospital in Chennai and the capacity was being increased in government sector hospitals to cater to COVID-19 cases.
In the first and second phases of the recruitment drive, 9,646 and 2,834 health personnel were appointed which includes doctors, nurses, lab technicians and today, appointment orders have been issued to 2,000 nurses and they will join duty immediately, he said.
The nurses will work for six months on a contract basis, and they were being assigned to government hospitals in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kancheepuram districts and "there is no question of shortage of nurses," he said.
"Specialty doctors have joined government hospitals in these two days and I appreciate them for volunteering to work during the pandemic," Vijayabaskar said.
Tamil Nadu has been witnessing close to 2,000 cases in the past few days and health personnel including doctors working in government hospitals have tested positive for coronavirus.
Chennai, together with three adjacent districts comprises over 70 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu.
(PTI report)
