Uttarakhand puts hospitals on alert, cancels doctors’ leaves

According to officers, the government has asked hospitals to paint red crosses on their roofs to identify the buildings as hospital facilities.

In the Government Doon Medical College and Hospital, officials said all protocol is being followed.

“Leave has been cancelled and staff are on duty, and those who are not, are on call or standby. The blood bank has been stocked up and a red cross has been painted on the roof of the hospital. Our generators have been activated and diesel backup promptly checked so there is no disruption. We have earmarked one ward with 30 beds for emergency and the capacity of ICU has been expanded from 80 beds to 100,” said Dr Ravindra Bisht, Additional Director of Medical Education.

Uttarakhand has 13 district hospitals, 21 sub-district hospitals, 79 community health centres and 578 primary health centres.

Following the virtual meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami convened a meeting with senior officials at his residence, calling for the need for “robust security in all border areas of the state and strict surveillance on any suspicious activity in frontier regions”.
Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi and Chamoli share their borders with China, while Champawat and Udham Singh border Nepal. Pithoragarh shares borders with both the countries.

According to a communication from the government, the CM stressed that security measures along the yatra route of all four pilgrimage sites should be activated amid the ongoing Char Dham Yatra in which lakhs of pilgrims have registered.

In the high-level meeting held at the CM’s residence, the discussion was also on key establishments, dams, and power plants in Uttarakhand, and he asked the administration, government departments, and police to remain on high alert.