CHANDIGARH: To further ramp up the state’s testing facility and medical preparedness in the Covid battle, the Council of Ministers headed by Capt Amarinder Singh today cleared various appointments, on outsourcing basis, for critical posts at the Government Medical Colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot.
The appointments, already approved by the Finance Department for six months, will enable the government medical colleges to appoint vital staff in the viral testing laboratories, isolation wards etc, to enable 24X7 functioning, said an official spokesperson.
The Committee headed by Dr Raj Bahadur will decide and finalize the appointments for the posts of Specialist Doctors, Nurses, Ward Attendants, Technicians, Lab Attendants, apart from Directors and other.
The Cabinet was informed that from the initial 3 testing facilities, the number of such centres in Punjab had gone up to 7, with the Dr Lal Path Labs also now allowed to conduct tests beginning today. The lab collected 2000 samples on the first day, from across the state.
To further increase the testing capacity in the State, a proposal has been sent to GOI to set up 4 new labs in the District Hospitals at Barnala, Roopnagar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. Additionally, a proposal to procure 15 TruNaat machines has been moved. State is also considering to start CBNaat testing in Patiala and Faridkot.
Cabinet Minister Vijay Inder Singla suggested allowing non-NABL labs to conduct Covid tests, pointing out that the state had 12 such labs, equipped with similar machines as needed for testing, and the ICMR had also allowed these labs to be used after due inspection.
*Ex-facto approval for 4300 GoGs*
In another decision, the Cabinet accorded ex-post facto approval to the appointment of 4300 Guardians of Governance (GOGS). The GoGs, part of the Chief Minister’s flagship scheme to gainfully employ ex-servicemen, have emerged as a powerful tool for the state government in the battle against Covid.