SHILLONG, May 11: Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek said the number of beds to cater to COVID-19 patients across the state will touch 1,000 soon.
Positive patients have so far occupied 394 of the existing 692 beds, he told reporters on Friday.
“The number of beds will increase to 823 with the new corona care centres including the one at IIM Umsawli coming up,” Hek said.
Of the 394 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across the state, 30 are of A category, 144 of B, 150 of C and 61 of D.
Hek said members of the Marwari Society and Marwari Yuva Manch have offered to set up a 25-bed Corona Care Centre at Balika Hindi Vidyalaya Secondary School, Keating Road.
The offer followed a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo and Managing Director of National Health Mission, Ram Kumar.
The two Marwari organisations will need the permission from the district administration to carry equipment and other materials for setting up the Corona Care Centre.
“We will give the permission immediately. They will take care of everything including the food for the people who are staying at the centre. The food to be provided will be purely vegetarian,” Hek said, adding that the centre will start functioning from this week.
The centre will cater only to A and B category patients and the Health Department will provide the doctors and other healthcare workers.
Hek also quoted the Deputy Commissioner as saying that the Synjuk ki Khlieh Nongsynshar Shnong would also be starting community quarantine centres at Laban and Jaiaw.
“We will also soon start the 100-bed Corona Care Centre at IIM Umsawli in a phased manner,” he said.
“We are trying to address the problem of bed scarcity through such efforts,” the Minister added.
