NEW DELHI, May 21: An emotional Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday broke down while expressing condolences to the families of those who died of Covid during the second wave of the virus.
While virtually reviewing the Corona situation with doctors and frontline workers in Kashi, which falls in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said, “Corona has snatched many of our loved ones from us. I pay my respects to all those people, express my condolences to their families,” the prime minister said, his voice choking.
He added that the second wave of Coronavirus has built huge pressure on the country’s health system. “Kashi is the centre of healthcare in the whole Banaras, and even some parts of Bihar. So the pressure on the health system here has come up as a great challenge,” he said.
Hailing the tireless job done by the health workers, he said, “We are meeting this challenge with the hard work of doctors, health workers.”
Remarking that the fight against the virus is still far from being over, he pointed out that the rural areas of Banaras and Purvanchal need a lot of attention.
“By creating a micro-containment zone on the principle of ‘where there is sick, there is treatment’, the way medicines are being distributed in the cities and villages is a very good initiative. This campaign has to be further expanded,” he added
Appreciating the health care and frontline workers for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19, Modi stressed on the need to focus on rural areas to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“Fight against COVID-19 is going to be long,” he said, while recommending that the administration should follow the motto, ‘Jahan Bimar, Vahan Upchar.’
He added that Kashi had successfully carried out micro-containment zones and door-to-door distribution of medicines and relief measures. He also highlighted the work of senior doctors of Uttar Pradesh that had helped rural areas through telemedicine.
“Such measures should continue to be up and running even after the number of cases fall,” he added, while also appreciating the efforts of ASHA workers and ANM sisters.
The prime minister commended the short span of time taken by his constituent assembly in increasing the number of oxygen and ICU beds, equipping the Pandit Rajan Mishra COVID hospital and using technology to ensure that the relief measures are available for everyone.
He also stated that yoga has helped fight Covid all over the world. He said when yoga was recognised by the UN and had reached the world through International Yoga Day, it was ridiculed and communalised, but today, Yoga and AYUSH have helped fight the pandemic.
He also warned against the challenge of black fungus which had surfaced and stated that “we must focus on taking precautions and preparations to deal with it.”
(Manas Dasgupta)