The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will get some help from the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief (RedR) India, for preparing for the third wave of Covid-19 in the city. The Maharashtra government has roped in UNICEF and RedR India for providing technical support to the Disaster Management department and to help in handling the Covid-19 situation in various parts of the state. The RedR India, with support of UNICEF Maharashtra, has deployed a team of 10 experts and two senior consultants to help the district administration develop its Covid-19 preparedness plan. In addition to this, RedR India facilitates training for all frontline workers to enhance their preparedness, response and containment knowledge and skills. “The state government has made available two experts for assisting the PMC in handling the Covid-19 situation,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal. There will be a 'risk governance specialist' and a public health expert who will assist the civic administration for effective planning and handling of the pandemic. “They will be mainly responsible for preparing for the third wave of Covid-19. They will support the municipal commissioner in assessing the ground situation and evolving an action plan for short, medium and long term,” she said. They will also help the civic administration in developing risk communication strategies and plans, and development of information, education and communication (IEC) tools. “The experts will help in a preparedness plan for Covid centres,” said Agarwal. The experts will also draw up a medical emergency response plan at PMC level, and also prepare an immunisation plan. “They will address the vaccination drive in slums, as well as other vulnerable populations. and evolve a holistic immunisation action plan for smooth implementation of the vaccination drive,” she said, adding that the experts would be paid by UNICEF. The additional municipal commissioner directed the staff of PMC to provide all necessary information to the experts when they visit the zonal or ward offices to assess the situation at the local level. The experts will also be allowed to attend civic meetings on Covid-19. The experts will submit their analysis, reports and recommendations to the municipal commissioner for effective implementation, said the civic officer.
