Enough PPE kits being given to health professionals: TN government to HC

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras high court that adequate number of PPE kits are being provided to about 10,366 frontline Covid-19 workers daily in government hospitals.
As on July 24, the designated Covid-19 government hospitals have stock of over 3.5 lakh PPE kits, 3.16 lakh N95 masks and 22.96 lakh triple layer masks, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said through a status report filed in the court.
The report has been filed in view of an interim direction issued by the first bench of Chief Justice A P Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on July 8.
The issue pertains to a plea moved by advocate S Jimraj Milton alleging inadequate supply of PPEs to frontline workers including doctors in Covid-19 designated government hospitals.
The petitioner further said the state had failed to constitute a committee as mandated under the Disaster Management Act to coordinate Covid-19 work.
Responding to the plea, the report said that besides the stock maintained at the hospitals, the state headquarter has a buffer stock of 5,930 PPEs, 15,175 N95 masks and 4.39 lakh triple layer masks.
It added that such protective gears are not only provided to workers in Covid-19 wards but also to other workers in the hospital.
As to the constitution of the committee, the state submitted that a state executive committee is already in place and in addition to it through a GO dated March 17, a task force headed by the chief secretary has been constituted to coordinate Covid-19 works, the report said.