Hyderabad, May 12 (IANS): Union Health and Family Welfare Ministerv Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday assured Telangana that the Centre will enhance its quota of oxygen, medicines and vaccines.

He gave the assurance during a video conference he held with the state government.

On the instructions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Finance Minister Harish Rao participated in the videoconference.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, Harsh Vardhan expressed satisfaction over the decrease in the intensity of Covid in Telangana, and assured that supply of oxygen, medicines and injections like Remdesivir, vaccines, testing kits, ventilators and other corona-related drugs and essentials would be done immediately and the state's quota would also be increased in this regard.

Harish Rao explained the curtailment measures taken by the state government and urged the Union Minister to enhance the quota.

He said that the state government had enhanced the basic infrastructure considerably by the time the second wave arrived. During the first wave, there were only 18,232 beds, which were increased to 53,775 during the second wave. The oxygen beds were increased from 9,213 to 20,738 and ICU beds from 3,264 to 11,274.

The Health Department is conducting door-to-door fever survey, with 27,039 teams consisting of the ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and ANM staff visiting each and every households to conduct the tests, he said, adding that 60 lakh households have been covered so far.

Harish Rao also informed the Union Minister that health kits comprising the essential medicines to treat Covid are supplied to suspected patients. This survey programme is helping in preventing the spread and also the deaths due to the virus, he said.

Pointing out that patients from state like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra are coming to Hyderabad for the treatment, he demanded that quota of medicines, oxygen and others should be fixed keeping this in view. The shortage of medicines and others in the state was due to the difference in the calculation of positive cases, he xplained.

Harish Rao also demanded that 450 tonnes of oxygen for the state should be increased to 600 tonnes per day. He wanted oxygen tankers be brought into the state from the neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, and not from distant states like Odisha as it would help quick delivery and supply. He said supply of Remdesivir injunctions should be increased to 20,000 vials per day.

Since patients are coming to Telangana by air ambulances, the supply of Tocilizumab injections should be increased from 810 to 1,500 per day. He said the Telangana needs two lakh testing kits per day and they should be supplied forthwith.

Harish Rao said on the instructions of the CM, the second dose of the vaccine is being administered all over the state. To vaccinate people above 45 years of age, 1.29 crore vaccines are required. There is an urgent need of 13 lakh vaccines till end of this month and they should be supplied immediately. He also wanted the immediate supply of 2,000 ventilators, which are very much needed for the state.