Health Minister Banna Gupta on Saturday pressed for the need to be prepared with testing facilities, beds, isolation norms and ventilators for children in a bid to minimise the effects of a possible third wave of Covid-19, which according to experts could affect children the most.

Chairing a meeting with the top bureaucrats in Ranchi, Gupta said that the State needs to be ready with child ambulances, mobile RT PCR testing facilities for children, special Covid kits for children in home isolation and beds in pediatrics wards for children who contract the infection.

Gupta also asked the concerned officials to hold a meeting with all the pediatricians in the state and prepare a roadmap to tackle the third wave of infection in Jharkhand. Lactating mothers and newborns should also be provided nutritional food and care, he added.

“Child specialists, children’s hospitals, newborn care units and delivery and labour wards will also have to be used effectively to minimise the impact of a third wave,” said Gupta.

Health experts across India have warned that the third wave of Covid-19 was likely to affect children. Last week the Supreme Court too asked the Centre to prepare for a third wave and cautioned that it may affect children. The apex court also asked the government to rope in NEET aspirants and nurses to handle the third wave.

The meeting was also attended by Health Secretary Arun Kumar Singh and senior officials of the National Health Mission. The officials informed Gupta that Jharkhand had the highest testing rate for Covid-19 among Indian States and that at least 45,000 people were tested for Covid-19 every day in the state. Jharkhand, they said, was also producing at least 800 metric tonne of medical oxygen every day for use within the state and outside.

During the meeting, Gupta said that the government will have to use the pediatrics wards at all the Sadar Hospitals in different districts in order to ensure treatment for Coronavirus-infected children. The state, he said, also needs to prepare for cremation of children who fall victim to Covid-19 if the virus causes fatalities during the third wave.

The Health Minister asked officials to focus on rural areas to ensure that the infection does not spread among villagers due to lack of awareness. Officials who attended the meeting assured that the government is running extensive campaigns at Panchayat level to spread awareness among villagers about Covid-19.