ITANAGAR, Aug 10 - Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today said the State is better placed than many others in controlling the Coronavirus pandemic.
�Today, we are far better placed than many of the states in controlling the virus � thanks to the dedication of all frontline workers, including police and officials from the administration.
We should take heart in the fact that though every day positive cases are detected, yet more numbers of people are also being cured,� Khandu said while interacting with the doctors and medical staff during his visit to the State�s first Dedicated Covid Hospital at Chimpu here.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by State Assembly Speaker Pasang Dorjee Sona, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Health Minister Alo Libang today inspected the Covid Hospital, established as an extension of the Naharlagun-based Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) at the MLA Apartments at Chimpu.
His visit also marked commencement of the hospital�s services, said a release from the CMO here. Expressing satisfaction that the hospital is all set to receive COVID-19 positive patients, Khandu, however, prayed that the hospital remain patient-less for as long as possible!
He observed that with the scenic and state-of-the-art infrastructure coupled with all modern equipment and system in place required for treating COVID-19 patients, Arunachal Pradesh can claim to have one of the best facilities to deal with the pandemic in the North East.
�ICU facilities with ventilators have also reached the districts. And whatever the health experts require, we assure to provide. In fact, today we are ready,� the Chief Minister said.
Reiterating that the pandemic has made the Government analyse gaps in the health sector, he said the Government has decided to make it the top priority sector and spend about Rs 400 crore on it in the next two years.
While informing that shortage of doctors and nurses is being tackled by way of recruitment, he announced that nurses working under NHM will be regularised in a phased manner.
When informed that the newly-established hospital lacks a CT scan facility, Khandu assured that it too will be taken care of. Mein and Libang too lauded the efforts put in by the Health Department, TRIHMS, district administration and police in making the hospital see the light of day.
It may be noted that local residents had objected to the proposal for turning the MLA Apartments into a Covid hospital, which was subsequently resolved through several sessions of dialogue headed by Home Minister Bamang Felix, Capital DC Komkar Dulom, TRIHMS Director Dr Moji Jini and SP Tumme Amo.
The Covid hospital at the moment has a 10-bed ICU with monitors, suction apparatus, ventilators etc, 16-bed male and 16-bed female wards, a fully equipped operation theatre, labour room, neonatal ICU, a 2-bed dialysis unit, X-ray, ultrasound and a full-fledged laboratory.
