Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his visit to Dibrugarh announced that the state health department will soon set up 11 Covid19 testing centres in different wards of the town.
Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday visited Dibrugarh to review the Covid19 situation in the district.
Sarma had a review meeting with the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, principal of Assam Medical College (AMC), joint director of health services, ICMR officials and other officials involved with Covid19 containment measures in the district.
Talking to reporters, Sarma said, “We have decided that we may need 1,000 beds in Dibrugarh district for Covid patients in coming days. We have given the responsibility to the Dibrugarh deputy commissioner to arrange Covid Care Centres to increase the capacity to treat 1,000 Covid patients.”
Sarma added, “We are going to increase swab testing in Dibrugarh town by establishing 11 testing centres in different wards of the town.”
“People who wish to get them tested can come forward for their testing. First they will be tested by Rapid Antigen test and results will be given within half an hour for the positive cases,” Sarma said.
“However the people who get negative results, will be tested again through RTPCR result of which may take some time,” he added.
Sarma said they have permitted asymptomatic positive cases to be kept in home isolation subject to fulfilling some conditions set by the health department.
He said they have advised deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha to arrange Telemedicine system for those people.
“As we know that cases in Assam are becoming symptomatic gradually from non-symptomatic. In Assam Medical College, many Covid patients are fighting with the pandemic. We have arranged all available treatment to the critical patients in AMC,” Sarma said.
“We have started Plasma bank in Assam. We are happy to announce that two Plasma bags have been brought today from Guwahati to treat a patient at Assam Medical College,” the minister said.
The minister further added, “The situation is under control at present. We have barred inter-district movement in Assam from July 22 except some exemptions. This will help to control the situation.”
Regarding the availability of treatment facility in Assam Medical College the minister said, “The doctors and health workers in Assam are providing the best treatment in comparison to other parts of the country.”
“We should feel proud of them. In Dibrugarh also, many critical patients have recovered and discharged from Assam Medical College. The mortality rate in Assam is .02 %. Whatever is done in Assam is the best in the country as on date,” he claimed.
“We have extended the insurance coverage of Rs 50 lakh to the contractual workers working in Covid Care Centres from now onwards,” he said.
The minister asked the people residing at densely populated places like police barracks, jail, nursing home staff to come forward to get their tests done.
The minister also instructed the district administration to arrange for training of the health workers wherever required.
The minister also instructed the AMCH authority to prepare a 150-bed separate building with surgery facility apart from the existing COVID treatment facility.