Assam rushes to put Healthcare, essential items supply in order

Guwahati - With Assam entering the second day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown to combat COVID-19, the state government is grappling to put in place adequate Health care facilities and ensure availability of essential commodities to the people.

To ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities while also preventing public gatherings, the state government has notified specified timings for opening of stores.

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Timing of operation for wholesalers of essential items has been fixed from 0800 hours to 1600 hours daily, and for retailers from 0800 hours to 1900 hours daily for the period of lockdown.

In places where there are no grocery shops nearby, the respective district administrations will engage vans to deliver essentials at those places.

In some parts, like Hailakandi town, the administration has launched special measures for doorstep delivery of groceries with minimal delivery charges.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who visited Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, clarified that vegetables, fruits, fish and meat will be available in markets from tomorrow and urged everyone to follow the guidelines of lockdown.

The Health department has started constructing a nearly 1000-bedded quarantine facility at Sarusajai sports stadium here.

Informing this, state Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said another 1000-bedded facility could be constructed at Nehru Stadium in the city, while four other hospitals with 300 capacity each are being converted into COVID-19 treatment facilities, besides the government medical colleges and hospitals being made dedicated COVID-19 facilities.

He further informed that talks are on with L&T for construction of a few temporary COVID-19 dedicated hospitals with life span of four years, and said the government could take people's assistance for the purpose if the project comes through.

He also opened the government's Assam Arogya Nidhi bank account for receiving any donation from the public for fighting COVID-19.

The minister further informed that training module for about 700 MBBS students in final year and 2000 students in final year of nursing has been prepared and they will be trained to deal with COVID-19 from today, and also fast-tracking appointing of 300-400 ward boys and girls who have already completed all recruitment process.

Sanitisation process in different parts of the state, including at Guwahati, is on in full swing.

In Golaghat, residents of an entire apartment block have been home-quarantined after it came to light that two residents of the building had shared the same flight as the COVID-19 positive patient of Mizoram.

The two youths as well as their driver have been admitted at the isolation ward of the Golaghat civil hospital.

Though no positive case of COVID-19 has been reported in the state yet, the state government is adopting all precautionary measures.

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