Health Minister Elizabeth Hinostroza on Friday morning led a multisectoral meeting to report the progress made in implementing the "National Preparedness and Response Plan for Coronavirus COVID-19 Introduction" in Peru.
Prepared by the
Ministry of Health (Minsa) and issued on 31 January 2020, seeks to strengthen the surveillance, control, and response systems to COVID-19, by reducing the possible health, social, and economic impact that could trigger its spread.
"Minsa has reinforced the epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19. We have prepared isolation areas at
five hospitals in Lima," the minister pointed out.
"In addition, National Health Institute (INS) labs have been decentralized and we are working in close coordination with regional health directorates, which assume the epidemiological surveillance and investigation, as well as the articulation of their region," she added.
So far, 54 people have been under investigation for the coronavirus: infection has been ruled out for 38 of them, 12 are waiting for their results, and four remain under investigation.
Multisectoral action
The meeting saw the participation of Ministers Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Foreign Affairs), Carlos Moran (Interior), and Carlos Lozada (Transport and Communications), as well as officials of Ministries of Defense and Justice.
Also attending were representatives of the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC), the National Port Authority (APN), Airlines Committee, and State-run Social Health Insurance Institution (EsSalud), among others.
The authorities welcomed Minsa's efforts and expressed their intention to continue strengthening strategic actions through working groups that guarantee the interactions among sectors.
(END) NDP/KGR/RMB
Published: 2/28/2020