Delhi govt making 'thorough' preparations for possible third wave: Jain

The Delhi government is not taking any chances and making "thorough" preparations for an impending third wave of COVID-19, Health Minister Satyendar Jain has said.

Jain also thanked doctors who sacrificed their lives during the pandemic and said that their names will be written in golden words.

Jain urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and asked them not become negligent.

The health minister was speaking at the sixth felicitation ceremony for healthcare workers of government hospitals -- Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Vasant Kunj; Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital in Ashok Vihar; Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri and Burari Hospital -- in northwest Delhi at Delhi Vidhan Sabha on Friday.

"Their (healthcare workers) dedicated service saved precious lives, their supreme sacrifice cannot be forgotten and shall be written in the pages of history in letters of gold.

"The Arvind Kejriwal government salutes the selfless and dedicated service of healthcare workers, who had put their own lives at stake and stood with the Delhi government day in and day out to fight this deadly disease."

He said the government is doing its best and learning from experiences to prevent the third wave but following Covid-appropriate behaviour is very important, and thus people must not become negligent.

Jain stressed that the government's preparations for an impending third wave are "thorough''.

The government has its ear to the ground and is not taking any chances, he said, asserting that 37,000 COVID-19 dedicated beds are being laid out, include 12,000 ICUs beds.

"Along with this, 47 PSA oxygen plants along with five LMO storage tanks have already been set up in the city with many more to come up.

"Moreover our vision is to move a step forward by making ICU facilities so readily available in the capital that even a normal oxygen bed can be converted into an ICU one instantly without having to shift the patients," he said.

The health minister asked people to remain vigilant to stop another outbreak, and advised them to not panic in case they get infected or have symptoms.

"Being motivated and calm boosts the recovery process," he said.

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Ram Niwas Goel also praised the senior doctors and healthcare workers.

"The name 'frontline warriors' given to doctors and healthcare workers is absolutely correct as just like the army on the border, they didn't think about their lives but worked selflessly towards rescuing precious lives from the clutches of the deadly coronavirus," he said.

Goel stated that the Vidhan Sabha will continue to organise such felicitation programmes for the ''corona warriors'' of the national capital.