Shillong, Tura CH to treat COVID-19 patients

SHILLONG: The state government has notified Shillong and Tura civil hospitals as dedicated hospitals for treatment of persons infected with the highly contagious COVID-19.
The Commissioner and Secretary of the Health department, Sampath Kumar, on Friday informed that district hospitals, selected CHCs, PHCs, private hospitals, Mission Hospital and the corona care centres (CCC) would also treat suspect and infected cases of COVID-19.
He said that Shillong Civil Hospital has 12 ICU beds with ventilators whereas Tura Civil Hospital has eight while there are 50-60 beds in both the hospitals for other patients.
Stating that critical patients require ventilator support, he said that the government has already asked private hospitals in the city to dedicate ICU beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients. “We have a total of 64 ICU beds with ventilators in seven private hospitals including those run by Missionaries,” Kumar said.
Informing that there are seven dedicated hospitals with ventilators in the state for COVID-19 patients, he added that corona care centres are for mild and asymptomatic cases where a patient requires being isolated or quarantined and not hospitalised.
He said that in case of a surge, isolation and home quarantine was the best option adding that hospitalisation is required when a patient has breathing problems. He said that the state has 458 isolation beds in total in different hospitals.
In addition, the corona care centres have been established to take the pressure off the hospitals in the event of a surge of patients, he said.