500 more doctors & nurses to Guwahati: Himanta Biswa Sarma

TACKLING PANDEMIC SPIKE IN KAMRUP (M)

District Health services to be reinforced

500 more doctors & nurses from other districts to be requisitioned

State cases 23,999

Active 7,916

Discharged 16,023

Death 57

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State government will requisition the services of 500 additional doctors and nurses in Kamrup (Metro) district from August onwards. This decision has been taken keeping in view the alert sounded by the Centre that there might be a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases across the gateway to the Northeast.

Informing this to media on Sunday, State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The Government of India has already informed us that Kamrup (Metro) will witness around 25,000 cases in August 2020. If this situation happens as assumed by the Centre, the present strength of Health workers involved in the war against corona will not be sufficient. Therefore, we've decided to go for reinforcing them with the services of 500 doctors and nurses serving various districts across the State."

On the Centre's projection that COVID-19 cases across Assam will be of 65,000 within August this year, Minister Sarma said, "Though there is a scientific basis to the Centre's assumption, we feel that Assam may not touch that figure owing to the lockdowns in various places. Even then, there will be 50,000 cases definitely.

"Besides Kamrup (Metro), the other three most critically affected districts are Jorhat, Golaghat, and Cachar."

On July 18, a total of 515 corona positive cases were registered in Guwahati alone.

Corona toll rises: Meanwhile, Assam registered four more deaths during the last 24 hours. State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted on Sunday evening, "In an irreparable loss to four families, I am anguished to share that Pramod Chandra Sarma (62, Kamrup Metro), Binapani Das (78, Kamrup Metro), SK Wagle (46, Cachar), and Prasanta Saikia (74, Tinsukia) succumbed to COVID-19. My heartfelt condolences."

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