Chennai: The Tamilnadu government has launched an Unified Command Centre (UCC) for Covid-19
management.
The UCC will facilitate actionable intelligence for Covid-19 management, integrating the existing facilities managed by civic bodies such as the Greater Chennai Corporation.
All calls made to helpline numbers such as 104 and 108 will be managed by the UCC focusing on aspects such as hospital bed management and oxygen support.
The centre seeks to improve bed management by real-time tracking of vacant beds in hospitals, Covid-19 care centres of Chennai Corporation and in the private sector.
Over 11,000 patients in Chennai have been admitted to hospitals after testing positive for Covid-19, while over 25,000 patients are under home isolation.
Hospitals that request interventions pertaining to oxygen support will be able to get assistance from the unified command centre, to be located at the premises of Directorate of Medical Services in the city.
The UCC will serve as the nodal centre for managing bed availability, especially for critically ill patients and oxygen cylinder requirements in private hospitals.
This will be done in coordination with the existing 104 health Helpline.
Sources said public can continue to call 104/108, as usual for Covid related queries/treatment.
A new Twitter handle @104GoTN was also launched to support people in dire need of beds.
The sole purpose of this Twitter account was to offer a platform where individuals can directly request beds and gain assistance. All the requests will be handled via the UCC.
To maximise reach and filter messages easily, the hashtag #BedsForTN was also introduced.
The general public and hospitals are requested to utilise this tool for support concerning bed availability.
The Tamilnadu government firmly believes that the UCC will be a significant supporting structure to strengthen the ongoing COVID control measures taken in the State.
The Health department has also asked all private hospitals to postpone elective (non-emergency) surgeries for ten days and reserve 50 per cent of beds for Covid care.