NONGPOH, May 20: Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, on Thursday said that the ramping up of health infrastructure is being done on a war footing in different parts of Meghalaya.
Conrad said this after conducting an inspection of the ongoing installation of the oxygen plant at Nongpoh Civil Hospital.
Funder by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the oxygen plant, with a capacity of 150 litres per minute, will be able to provide oxygen to 25 beds and will cater to COVID-19 patients in the hospital.
Speaking to media persons after the inspection, the chief minister informed that similar UNDP-funded oxygen plants will also be installed at Tura and Jowai, adding that the installation work is going at full pace.
Urging the contractor to expedite the work, Conrad expressed optimism that that the oxygen plant at Nongpoh Civil Hospital should be functional by next week.
“We have received the equipment that has come in and installations are going on as we speak. Now, we just need to do the internal piping of the buildings, so that will take a little bit of time. We hope and expect that by early next week, this particular plant will be functional,” Conrad said.
During his Ri Bhoi visit, the chief minister also held discussions with officials on setting up another COVID-19 base at the Maternity and Child Hospital at Umran Niangbyrnai.
“We are in touch with the TATA Trust. They have committed to set up the oxygen plant at the MCH,” he informed.
“We need to be prepared so that in any situation, if cases continue to rise then we will need the required infrastructure and, of course, Ri Bhoi is very vulnerable as it is very close to the Assam border and is home to a large industrial and other central government bases,” Conrad added.
The ones who were present during the inspection were Nongpoh MLA, Mayralborn Syiem, Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, RM Kurbah, and other district health officials.
Inspection of Jengjal Plant
The chief minister, during the day, also inspected the cryogenic oxygen plant at Jengjal in West Garo Hills. The levelling of land and civil works is under way and effort is being made by the authorities to get the cryogenic tanks within three weeks.
Conrad informed that after the completion of the plant, it will cater to the needs of five districts of Garo Hills and part of West Khasi Hills.
SBI Nongpoh Branch shut
Meanwhile, Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, RM Kurbah, has informed that the Nongpoh branch of SBI has been shut till May 27 after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
People who visited the aforesaid bank since May 13 have also been directed to undergo 10-day home quarantine.
