Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with doctors and officials of Varanasi today through a video conference.

During the interaction, the doctors and officials of Varanasi thanked the Prime Minister for his continuous and proactive leadership that helped in ramping up health infrastructure and ensured an adequate supply of necessary medications and critical equipment like ventilators and oxygen concentrators.

The Prime Minister was informed about the efforts undertaken in the last month to contain the spread of Covid, vaccination status, and the ongoing steps and plans to prepare the district for future challenges. The doctors also informed the Prime Minister that they have been vigilant about the threat of Mucormycosis and have already taken steps and created facilities for the management of the disease.

The Prime Minister underscored the importance of continuous training of the manpower fighting Covid and advised the officials and doctors to conduct training sessions and webinars, especially for the paramedical staff and doctors serving in the rural areas. He also asked the officials to work towards bringing down vaccine wastage in the district.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister commended the work done by the doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys, ambulance drivers and other frontline health workers of Kashi. He paid tributes to all those who lost their loved ones. He praised the speed with which the number of oxygen and ICU beds has been increased in such a short time in Banaras and the way the Pandit Rajan Mishra Kovid Hospital has been activated at such short notice. He expressed happiness that the Integrated Covid command system in Varanasi worked very well and said Varanasi’s example inspires the world.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of the medical team in containing the epidemic to a great extent. He also urged against complacency and urged them to engage in fighting a long battle right now by focusing on the rural areas of Benaras and Purvanchal. He said that the plans that have been made and the campaigns that have been run in our country in the last few years have helped a lot in fighting Corona.

The Prime Minister provided a new mantra in Covid Management : ‘Jahan Bimar Wahan Upchar‘. He remarked that bringing the treatment to the patient’s doorstep will reduce the burden on the health system. The Prime Minister also hailed the initiative of micro containment zones and appreciated the home delivery of medicines. He requested the health workers to make this campaign as comprehensive as possible in rural areas.

He said bringing doctors, labs and e-marketing companies together to provide a telemedicine facility named ‘Kashi Kavach’ is also a very innovative initiative.