The Assam government will set up four temporary hospitals with 300 beds each across the state for treatment of patients infected with coronavirus, a minister said on Thursday, 26 March.
The state is also constructing an isolation facility for 700 people with separate rooms and 200 attached lavatories at the Sarusajai Sports Complex, which will be ready within a week, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“We have had discussions with a leading private sector construction company regarding the temporary hospitals. Almost all parliamentarians from both ruling and opposition parties of Assam have also offered to contribute funds to set up the hospitals,” Sarma told reporters after inspecting the ongoing construction work at the complex.
“It will be finalised within the next two-three days. We are looking to set up these hospitals in places where there is no medical college,” he said.
Assam has not reported any COVID-19 case so far.
“We have enough space in the Sarusajai Sports Complex to set up an isolation unit for another 1,000 people. However, this will be created subject to availability of logistics as construction materials for temporary structure are not available at this moment,” Sarma added.
Once the Sarusajai Sports Complex is full, the state government might set up another such facility at Radha Gobinda Baruah Sports Complex, the minister said.
Around 700 people are at check gates in Kokrajhar district along the Assam-West Bengal border and they will be brought directly to the Sarusajai facility, Sarma said.
On the steps taken to augment the strength of medical staff, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We have developed a training module. Around 700 students are in the final year of MBBS in medical colleges of Assam. They are called PRCs, which is equivalent to doctors.”
“From today onwards, we will train them in the module for coronavirus treatment. Similarly, around 2,000 final year students of nursing in the state will also be trained for the same purpose. Many young doctors who have returned to the state have offered their voluntary services if the need arises”.
The Health Department had also conducted examinations for ward boys and girls, the results of which are awaited, Sarma said.
“We have asked the authority concerned to announce the results immediately, because 300-400 new entrants in the healthcare system will benefit us immensely,” he said.
On cases of harassment of doctors and nurses by landlords, Sarma said instructions have been given to all Superintendents of Police to register criminal cases against them. “I am personally monitoring this situation”.
The minister said as Manipur and Mizoram have one positive coronavirus case each, “we are thinking of sealing the inter-state border with these two states”.
Sarma also expressed regret that people are still coming out of their homes in large numbers despite the lockdown. “Weekly markets are open with hundreds of people assembling to purchase essential commodities. We have asked the DCs and SPs to take stern action to enforce the lockdown,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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