Guwahati: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today announced that the 250-bed COVID-19 hospital at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Palashabri under the Kamrup (Metro) has started its operations from Tuesday, June 30.
Sarma today visited the facility, which is sure to add more teeth to the state's ability to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. "Glad that the 250-bed #COVID19 Hospital at Patanjali Yogpeeth, Mirza, Palashabri has begun operations from today. Visited the Hospital again and promised all help to doctors and staff by the Government. This facility boosts our pandemic management infrastructure", Sarma shared in a tweet.
On July 27, Sarma had announced that a quarantine centre in the Patanjali Yogpeeth is being converted into a COVID-19 facility. "Our efforts to step up infrastructure for #COVID19 management continues. A quarantine centre is being converted into a 250-bed Covid Hospital at Patanjali Yogpeeth, Mirza, Palashbari. I visited it along with senior health officials today and reviewed all arrangements", he tweeted after a visit to the centre.
Sarma had earlier admitted that the boom in COVID-19 cases in neighboring Guwahati has put an immense strain on the health department to arrange beds for sick patients, which has necessitated a lockdown. This new phase of lockdown, which will last for 14 days, will see the authorities placing severe restrictions on the movement of persons and only medical services will be given a free pass. During the lockdown period, only 3 categories of people will be allowed to enter the city. "First, the people who have to come to Guwahati to board flights, secondly, the people who have to board trains, and thirdly, those who have come to the city due to some medical emergencies", Munna Prasad Gupta, the city police commissioner, had informed media a day before the lockdown came into effect.