SHILLONG: Meghalaya Health Minister AL Hek has taken strong exception to the non-inclusion of European Wards welfare committees as COVID-19 management committee.
“Why will you leave out the welfare societies? These are also functioning as welfare societies for ages and have similar responsibility like Durbars to combat COVID -19 pandemic at the community level,” said Hek.
He reasoned that it will be difficult for the Health authorities to work at the grassroot like in any other areas if they do not work with them.
“Who will coordinate and share the information from those areas if not them?,” he questioned.
“RR colony welfare committee, Jail Road and Keating Welfare society are also COVID management society and we will have to work with them and recognise them,” he added.
He said that such welfares have been given equal powers to setup quarantine centres in their respective locality.
Informing that he had a meeting with all the welfare society on the issue, he said, “I came to know only on Sunday and I am taking it very seriously”.
He also said that a building in Jail Road was sanitized after he gave directions to the DHS for necessary action.
Earlier during the meeting held on Sunday, the Representatives of Civic Welfare Committees of European Ward and Shillong Cantonment area had asked the Health Minister to ensure that positive patients are shifted to the hospital or COVID Care Centres in Shillong to avoid further spread of the virus in the locality.
“However, if the COVID-19 positive patient has access to a separate room with attached toilet, he or she may be allowed to stay in home isolation in consultation with the head of the local Civic Welfare Body,” the statement said.
They also lamented that the District Administration and Health department have suddenly stopped sending the list of returnees to the Civic Welfare Committees and this should be resumed, adding the names of the detected COVID-19 positive patients may be intimated to all the Head of the respective localities of European Ward as per decision of the state government.
The petition also said that food and ration kits which are being supplied only to the families of COVID-19 positive patients should also be supplied to all families falling under Containment area, zone/ or building.
