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Nagaland Health Minister reviews preventive measures

By Correspondent

DIMAPUR, March 24 - Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangyu Phom today visited hospitals here to take stock of the preventive measures put in place against COVID-19.

Phom, accompanied by Adviser to the Information and Public Relations and Village Guards departments Toshi Wungtung, visited the military hospital at Rangapahar, the Eden Hospital and the Referral Hospital. He also visited the Dimapur airport.

Phom expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made at the Rangapahar Military Hospital that has put up nine isolation beds and eight beds in the ICU with one ventilator and two transport ventilators exclusively for COVID-19 cases.

During a brief interaction with the minister, GOC, Spear Corps, Lt Gen RP Kalita said the military hospital has kept ready a team of 100 personnel to work in shifts in any of the isolation zones in the event of extreme emergency.

Underscoring the importance of social distancing, Kalita said leave has been extended to those soldiers who are already on leave and those who have returned from leave for unavoidable reasons, have been quarantined. He said all international borders, including Myanmar and Longwa, have been completely sealed.

Longwa is a village situated 42 km from Mon town and the inhabitants of the village enjoy dual citizenship of both India and Myanmar. The Indo-Myanmar border passes through this village.

Kalita added that troops have been deployed to prevent movement of people not only in Nagaland but also in Manipur and Mizoram.

At the Eden Hospital, the minister and his team held a brief meeting with the Nagaland Private Doctors� Association. He expressed gratitude to the private doctors for showing their concern at times like this. He told the association: �Let us all work together because the government sector alone cannot do without the help of your specialised skills.�

The authority at the Referral Hospital said 10 beds have been set up, 120 staff trained and a separate rapid response team for COVID-19 cases has been put in place in the hospital. However, the hospital authority said there are limited ventilators and it can spare said only two to three ventilators in the event of a sudden outbreak of COVID-19.

It apprised the minister of the shortage of protective gowns and N-95 masks for health workers. It said the hospital has only 25 gowns, which will suffice for only one day if an emergency situation arises.

Phom assured of all possible help to the hospital from the Government. Wungtung advised the people not to panic and encouraged the frontline workers to continue to work on a war footing.

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