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Dedicated COVID hospitals to come up in districts: Mamata

She expressed her unhappiness at the DMs of Jhargram and West Midnapore for their failure to identify COVID hospitals and isolation buildings correctly.

Dedicated COVID hospitals to come up in districts: Mamata

(Representational Image: iStock)

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that the next two weeks are “emergency” and approved dedicated COVID hospitals in the districts and isolation hospitals at the block-levels in a bid to enhance the infrastructure for treating COVID-19 patients if the need arises.

Along with the government hospitals, the state government will take over the private hospitals along with their infrastructure and staff for providing treatment to Coronavirus patients. She expressed her unhappiness at the DMs of Jhargram and West Midnapore for their failure to identify COVID hospitals and isolation buildings correctly.

Miss Banerjee further announced increasing the health insurance coverage from Rs five to 10 lakhs. She extended it till 15 May as well as included ambulance drivers, drugs and chemists, courier service members as well as their families under the scheme. The scheme now covers for the doctors, nurses, health workers, police and sanitation workers.

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“Even if these people or their family members are unwell they will get assistance under the scheme,” she said. “I should personally thank you all for your service. The society is indebted to you all for your service. If you or your family members face any problem, then please approach us. We will provide a separate phone number for this,” Miss Banerjee said.

Miss Banerjee said that the markets would continue to operate, and sweet shops will remain open from 12 pm to 4 pm. To address blood shortage in blood banks, blood donation camps would be organised by the police at the respective police stations, she said.

Miss Banerjee today held a review meeting on the preparedness of the districts to handle the crisis through video conference with DMs, SPs, chief medical officer health, principals of medical colleges and hospitals and senior health officials of all the districts.

She even sought an opinion from doctors and experts in this connection. She directed DMs to see to it that migrant workers who are stranded in the state or workers of closed factories are provided food by organising community kitchens. She announced that food grains would be provided to people without ration cards so that nobody in the state suffers due to food shortage.

Miss Banerjee has already announced five kg of rice and wheat per month to 7.85 crore people free of cost till September. Now, people who are without ration cards too would be provided free food grains. Urging people not to panic, Miss Banerjee said that three COVID-19 positive patients have recovered, which means that timely treatment can cure the disease.

Senior IPS officers, namely Mr Ajay Nand, will function as nodal officer for the three north Bengal districts and Mr Rajesh Sinha for five south Bengal districts in connection with proper handling of COVID-19 cases. Next, Chief Minister directed the police to ensure that state borders are entirely sealed and to ignore requests from MPs or MLAs to allow people to enter the state.

“Follow the government directive on border sealing. There is no need to listen to requests from any other person on allowing people into the state,” she said in response to complaints that MLAs often ask the police to allow people inside the state on the ground that they are known to them.

Miss Banerjee pulled up SP North Dinajpur questioning him as to how 200 people managed to enter Islampur from Bihar and directed to ensure that all the people are quarantined. Meanwhile, Miss Banerjee asked police to arrest any person who misbehaves or restrict doctors and nurses to enter their localities or houses on the ground that they are spreading Coronavirus as they treat such patients.

Assuring hospitals of necessary assistance, Miss Banerjee asked the transport secretary to arrange a transport facility for doctors and nurses of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital to reach the hospital from their accommodations. Given a shortage of cleaning staff, Miss Banerjee asked hospitals to pay Rs 10,000 per month instead of Rs 6,000 for the next two months. The state government has procured another 300 ventilators and are trying to provide mobile ventilators for the hospitals, she said.

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