SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Karimganj Congress MLA Kamalakha Dey Purkayastha dubbed the review meeting of Pijush Hazarika, Minister of State for Health, held at Karimganj on Tuesday as 'farce' and of no use to people. During his two day visit to Barak Valley, the Minister considering the rising spurt in COVID-19 cases in all the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, spoke of setting up 1000 bed capacity dedicated Covid Care Centres each at Silchar and Karimganj and 1500 bed capacity at Hailakandi. This has not gone well with Congress MLA who after attending the review meeting closeted with media persons to say the Minister has made statements without trying to appreciate the ground realities.
The review meeting convened by the district administration of Karimganj and attended by ruling party MLAs, MP, and the opposition along with officials was an exercise to sidetrack other burning health needs and demands of the 40 lakh people of Barak Valley. Raising COVID Care Centres with large capacity is easy, but where are sufficient number of doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff, asked Congress MLA? This way the menace of growing COVID cases cannot be met. The alarming situation is fast catching up with Guwahati. Merely asking the local administration to deal firmly and resolutely with defaulters of protocols on the roads will not do. This has to be implemented in letter and spirit.
The vocal Congress MLA confronted the Minister with pointed question what about the promised ventilation and ICU at Karimganj Civil Hospital. There are no advanced machines or technical staff to operate critical medical apparatus. Existing Covid Care Centres do not have ICUs and ventilators. At the proposed centres, the shape of things to come can easily be realised. Purkayastha reminded the Chief Minister during his last visit assured of making the Civil Hospital well staffed and well equipped. In May, Forest Minister, Parimal Suklabaidya, made yet another assurance of installing advanced medical machines at Covid hospital within 5 days. The promises are made to keep people in good humour, he pointed out.
The Minister has no specific answer on the appointment of a heart specialist at SMCH which has been lying vacant for the last three years. The Congress MLA also raised the issue of opening of neurological and nephrology departments at SMCH which has completed 50 years of its existence. He said for poor and downtrodden SMCH and other medical treatment centres of the state are the only hope for them. Let there be thousand capacity Covid Care Centres, but these should be sufficiently managed to be of utility to the patients.
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