SHILLONG, June 7: Coming forward with suggestions for the state government to implement in combating the pandemic effectively, People’s Democratic Party (PDF) on Monday urged the government to set up corona care centre in every C&RD Block in Meghalaya.
In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, PDF president Banteidor Lyngdoh said that the move will help in reducing stress on hospitals. “Some of the identified C&RD Blocks can be converted into corona care centre,” Lyngdoh said in the letter.
He pointed out that the many villages have set up COVID-19 isolation centre to accommodate asymptomatic COVID patients. Speaking on behalf of his party, Lyngdoh stated that some assistance should be provided by the government to such community isolation centres or community quarantine centres in order to enable them to meet basic requirements.
He also informed the chief minister that the party has received many complaints about the inaccuracy of oximeter provided to COVID-19 patients as one of the instruments inside the isolation kit. He urged the Chief Minister’s Office to advise the Health department to replace the product.
Banteidor also stressed on the need to provide training to community COVID-19 volunteers. “There are also many villages that have set up a COVID-19 team or COVID-19 task volunteers in order to assist in dealing with the COVID-19 situation. We are of the view that the government should provide PPE kits to such volunteers,” Lyngdoh said.
Talking on the aspect of mental health of COVID patients, the PDF president said that several people have gone into depression due to prolonged period of home isolation.
He suggested that the Health department should ensure that information/instruction on recovering from COVID-19 is shared with public at the village-level.
Banteidor also informed the chief minister that in the past few weeks, people have been observed to be reluctant in availing treatment at hospitals or health centres over fears of COVID-19. “The government needs to address this issue to ensure that people suffering from other diseases can receive their treatment,” Lyngdoh said.
Stating that the ASHA workers are working tirelessly, he flagged concern in the letter about reports stating that the monthly incentive has not been paid to these frontline workers since December 2020. The PDF leader sought the CM’s intervention into the matter for release of their monthly incentives at eh earliest. “The government should hike their incentives in the form of fixed monthly honorarium as done by other states and this will a go long way to help them to sustain their livelihood,” he added.
The party also pointed out that government and community leaders have been facing difficulty in sensitising people about COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 test and protecting from the virus by following the health protocols. It suggested that the Health department in coordination with the village administration should make arrangements for use of PA system for disseminating awareness on the aforementioned subjects, besides using posters in every locality related to awareness on COVID-19.
