Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid ordered, on Monday, provinces health directors to allocate hospitals and specialized services for Covid 19, thus in anticipation of the development of the fourth wave of the virus, according to the ministry communiqué.
The same source explained that within the framework of the series of periodic evaluation meetings of the epidemiological situation in Algeria, Benbouzid met via videoconference, directors and exectutives of the central administration and members of the scientific committee, during which, he gave “ a series of instructions and directives as part of the proactive strategy of the ministry” in anticipation of the development of the fouth wave of Covid 19 virus.
In this regard, the minister ordered “to allocate hospitals and specilized services for covid-19 according to the population census and the cases recored in them and without detriment to a number of specialties of great importance, such as the services of cancer control, gynecology, obstetrics, resuscitation, general surgery, emergency and pediatrics”.
During the meeting, health directors were asked to “prepare a detailed inventory of the oxygen stock of various health institutions, in addition to reviewing, maintaining and monitoring the situation of the various medical equipments.”
He stressed the need to ”determine the current situation in the various health institutions, especially in light of the high number of cases of covid-19 in many states and the beginning of the fourth wave of this virus.”
The minister pointed out that health managers have ” full powers “in making decisions to cope with the fourth wave of the virus, and called on them to ”provide a detailed report on the stock of medicines intended for covid-19 patients, especially anticoagulants,” and “to provide a list of their needs regarding the shortage that can be recorded in this regard, which will be provided by the central pharmacy of hospitals in a timely manner”.
Benbouzid reiterated that”vaccination remains the only solution to the fight against covid-19 as Algeria has significant stock of vaccine, while other quantities are expected to be received in the coming days”.
In this context, he instructed health directors to “strongly involve in the sensitization campaign on the importance of covid-19 vaccination by providing all the necessary human and material means and, with the involvement of civil society and local media in this process”
