GUWAHATI: Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that despite the rising number of coronavirus positive patients of late, the state can currently accommodate up to 5000 patients in the dedicated COVID-19 hospitals.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Sarma said while the 120 beds at the MMC Hospital here have been occupied at present, we have made the 142-bed facility at Kalapahar operational since Saturday evening with 50 COVID-19 patients already admitted there.
“Simultaneously, we have set up a 110-bed COVID hospital in Sonapur, transformed the Ayurvedic Collage at Jalukbari to a COVID facility and also ready with a dedicated 300-bed COVID hospital at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital which will start functioning by May 28 next,” the minister said.
He further said that if there is another surge in the number of cases, then the GMCH has an additional capacity to accommodate 1000 COVID patients.
“But first, we are looking at other options because we do not want that the treatment of other patients at GMCH to be affected. As it is, we can take the load of 1500 COVID patients at a time in and around Guwahati with hospitals at Singimari, Dadara and Bamunigaon (Kamrup district) having an intake capacity of 100 patients while the hospital at Jagiroad has 50 additional beds ready. So we can say that Assam can take the load of up to 5000 active cases at any point of time and our team of doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other medical staff are ready,” Sarma said.
Till Sunday afternoon, the state recorded a tally of 286 active COVID-19 cases.
The minister also visited Morigaon Civil Hospital where a 10-bed ICU would be set up soon.
