Manipur health minister L Jayantakumar led a ministerial team to visit different quarantine centres set-up in Senapati district on Saturday.
The health minister was accompanied by ministers N Kayasii (tribal affairs) and Losii Dikho (PHED), Senapati deputy commissioner Lalithambigai Kalidas, ADC Senapati and ADC members, officials of Senapati district administration and officials from Health department.
After the minister’s visit at different quarantine centres in Senapati, in a meeting held at ADC Senapati Office Complex, Jayantakumar said in order to face the inconveniences regarding testing of COVID-19, the Health department has decided to launch a Mobile Testing Kit and is ready to be implemented at the earliest.
This initiative will at-least reduce the time and work consumption in procuring the samples.
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This will be very much helpful especially to those who are in need of COVID test in the hill areas.
The minister maintained that the medical equipment and staff to fight this pandemic in the State are not sufficient.
As such a Cabinet meeting was held which approved to recruit 300 numbers of doctors as soon as possible.
He added that the recruitment of 106 numbers of staff nurses under the National Health Mission, which was left pending due to the current scenario of the pandemic, will be finalized.
This will at least mend the shortage of staff nurses to the nearest possible, he said.
The present capacity of COVID-19 testing in the State per day is above 1000 but this does not fulfill the testing of the actual influx of homecoming passengers.
In this regard, the Government is making its effort to increase the testing capacity more than the current limit, the health minister added.
Jayantakumar said the novel coronavirus has its peculiarity of changing its stand and it requires us to obey the norms given by the WHO, ICMR, and health experts.
He also suggested each and everyone to stay healthy and maintain cleanliness.
He also urged the public to abide by the standard operating procedures issued from time to time by the State Government to curb the pandemic.
Later, the minister had a discussion with the civil society organizations of Senapati district.
Keeping in view of the volunteers who are at the frontline to fight the pandemic, Jayantakumar also made cash donation through ADC Senapati.
In his return trip, the health minister along with social welfare minister Nemcha Kipgen visited the District Hospital, Kangpokpi, and discussed the requirement of the hospital along with DC Kangpokpi Somorjit Salam.