Centre to provide all assistance to J-K to combat COVID-19: Jitendra Singh

Jammu and Kashmir will be provided all required assistance to combat coronavirus and the Union Health Ministry is taking care of all its requirements, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday.

Singh, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, took up the issue with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan along with a list of requirements submitted by the J-K administration.

The health minister has assured of full and adequate response as well as liberal assistance in the matter, Singh told reporters here.

Singh, the minister for PMO, said the collection of samples for coronavirus screening and test was being done at nine places in Jammu and Kashmir, as he allayed apprehensions in certain quarters that such facility existed only at four places.

He clarified that the operational laboratories for Covid-19 testing as notified by the ICMR are at four places -- Government College Jammu, Army Command Hospital Udhampur, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Srinagar and Government College Srinagar.

These labs are also collecting samples in addition to the government medical colleges in Kathua, Doda, Rajouri, Anantnag and Baramulla.

Singh said people should feel assured as the number of collection centres in a small territory like Jammu and Kashmir is higher than the number of such centres in some other Union territories. However, if required, more such centres could be made available with the help of ICMR and the Union Health Ministry, he said.