Inter-State supply chain of medical products a must, says CM Sarbananda Sonowal

GUWAHATI: Participating in the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal spoke of the Assam Government’s preparedness to deal with COVID-19 cases, and highlighted the need for uninterrupted maintenance of inter-State supply chain of medical products from States where such products are manufactured to other States so that treatment of patients could be handled effectively.

Sonowal said that it was due to the timely declaration of 21-day lockdown by the Prime Minister that fatality due to COVID-19 in the country could be minimized to a large extent as of now.

The Chief Minister said that till March 30, there was no COVID-19 positive case in Assam. However, the first novel coronavirus positive case was detected in Assam on March 31, and since then altogether 16 persons have been tested positive. All these patients are under medical treatment now, Sonowal said,

Informing the Prime Minister about the new steps taken up by the State Government, Sonowal said that five new COVID-19 hospitals are planned at Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Lakhimpur, Silchar and Bongaigaon. Besides, Medical Colleges are converted to COVID hospitals by diverting other patients to private hospitals for which the State government would bear expenses of such patients.

The Chief Minister also informed that AMCH, GMCH, SMCH, MMCH and the Sonapur District Hospital have been made functional already and FAAMCH, TMCH, JMCH and the Diphu Medical College are under process. Training for doctors and paramedical staff, 1000-bedd quarantine facility at Sarusajai Stadium and other interventions were also highlighted by the Chief Minister.

Moreover, Chief Minister Sonowal said that the State Government took steps to cover 58 lakh families of the State by NFSA and to provide rice free of cost from April 1 onwards. Apart from this, 5 lakh poor, destitute and homeless families who are presently not covered under NFSA are being provided Rs 1000 per family and Rs 2500 are being transferred to the bank accounts of six lakh marginal and small farm families under Chief Minister’s ‘Krishi Sa Sajuli Yojana’. He also informed that Rs 1000 will be transferred to the bank account of 2.78 lakh construction workers registered under Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board. Further, the State Government has also decided to transfer $2,000 to residents of the state who are stranded abroad for a month, he informed.

Chief Minister Sonowal informed that State police machinery and paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure complete compliance of the lockdown norms in the State. He also said that each Minister of the State Government has been assigned two districts to guide district administrations in their preparedness.

The Prime Minister appreciated the steps taken by the State Government, especially steps taken for jail inmates, and urged the other State Governments to take similar steps.

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