Punjab Govt takes best possible measures to deal with COVID-19: CM

• The chief minister said that the federal government would be requested to provide 1,500 ventilators.
• Orders of the federal government will be followed in connection with opening of restaurants and cafes.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the best possible measures are being taken by the government under available resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Corona Control which reviewed in detail about the situation occurred due to Corona virus held here on Saturday.

The chief minister said that the federal government would be requested to provide 1,500 ventilators. And orders of the federal government will be followed in connection with opening of restaurants and cafes.

He directed that no corona patient should face any difficulty in the government hospital.

Earlier, the participants presented their proposals for safety from coronavirus and agreed to send them to the federal government for opening different institutions in Punjab according to the SPOs devised in this regard.

The meeting took principle decision to ensure implementation of covering face and nose across the province under which police and traffic wardens will be able to warn violators.

The Cabinet Committee allowed the  Punjab Public Service Commission to conduct interviews of one thousand lady doctors by following the SOPs.

It was also decided in the meeting that the DRAP would be approached for the permission to prepare ventilator and respirator at local level.

It was decided the National Command and Operation Centre ( NCOC ) would take final decision to reopen the Parks proposal, new working hours for the commercial enterprises and 2-day holidays. It was informed the meeting that lists of plasma donors has been prepared in Mayo and Jinnah Hospitals Lahore, Corona patient can be treated with plasma under expert protocol.

The decision was made that the Central Control Room for monitoring the movement of corona patients would be established in Mayo Hospital Lahore and Dr Asad Aslam will be the Operations Commander of Central Control Room.

The meeting was informed that more than 2 lakh 28 thousand corona tests have so far been conducted in the province. It was told that there is no shortage of beds or facilities for corona patients in Punjab and more than one thousand beds reserved for corona patients in the province are still vacant.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid informed the meeting that the data related to corona expenditure is available on the website of the department to ensure transparency.

Provincial Ministers Abdul Aleem Khan, Raja Basharat, Mian Aslam Iqbal, the chief secretary, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Additional Chief Secretary Home, IG, Secretary Primary Health, Secretaries of Finance and Information, Commissioner attended the meeting while other senior officials participated from their offices via video link.