Govt to set up 2 more corona care centres at Mawlai

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 26, 2021

The state government has decided to set up two more corona care centres at Mawlai area.

“We have decided to set up two more corona care centres. Anybody who is tested positive for COVID-19 if they don’t have a space at home, they can opt to go to the corona care centre for their isolation,” Health Minister AL Hek told reporters on Wednesday.

Hek informed that he has conducted an inspection of the Amphitheatre of the Arts and Culture department at Mawlai Nongkwar and St Francis Higher Secondary School at Mawlai Kynton Massar.

The minister was accompanied by officials from the district administration, health department and community leaders.

“According to the experts from district administration and health department, the Amphitheatre is feasible for setting up a 20 bedded corona care centre as it has got separate entrance and exit,” he said.

Hek also recalled that the St Francis Higher Secondary School was also given for use as a corona care centre during the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

“The school has all the facilities and the place is very conducive to have a corona care centre of 60 beds,” he said while adding that the centre will not only cater to the people from the locality but for the entire Mawlai town dorbar.  

“We have asked the district administration to ensure both the corona care centres are made functional at the earliest,” he said.

Asked, the health minister said of the 14 corona care centres which are proposed to be set up, 3 have been made functional and have already started taking patients.

“In IIM, Shillong, more than 100 COVID-19 patients who fall under the category A and B or who are with mild symptoms and asymptomatic have been admitted so far against the bed capacity of 300,” he added.

Responding to another query, Hek said that he is not for home isolation of COVID-19 patients.

“This is because of the fact that many people are scared once they are tested COVID-19 positive and sometimes they even go into depression – that is why we have decided to take them to the corona care centre so that they are under the care of doctors and nurses. People can get better care if they are in the corona care centres,” he stated.

He however said doing away with the home isolation is also not good as the government cannot deny that many have also recovered by undergoing self isolation at home.