SHILLONG, July 17: The Health department on Sunday claimed the COVID-19 step down hospital has neither been closed permanently nor is it bereft of any activities.
“Currently, the manpower has been cut down to the bare minimum to reduce maintenance costs. There are six male employees to man the main gate day and night as well as to patrol the campus at night,” Deputy Secretary of Health TSR Marak said in a clarification.
She said the step down hospital has been kept ready in case of an uncontrollable surge of positive cases as witnessed in other states with adequate requisite resources in place.
Marak said the maintenance of the hospital requires extra manpower for which assistance from the contractual appointees had been sought in addition to the extra working hours put in by the government doctors. As the cases began to decline, the use of the hospital and its resources were put on temporary hold.
The health official said two staff nurses who were appointed for the step-down hospital at Umsawli have been posted at Ganesh Das Hospital. Similarly, two lab technicians, a dietician, a pharmacist and two OT technicians have been assigned duties at the Civil Hospital Shillong and Ganesh Das Hospital.
The step-down hospital had a total staff strength of 24, including 12 grade IV employees, two administrative staff and two ward in-charges.
Marak also said the paediatric ICU project at the step down hospital was launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 24 last year during the second wave of the pandemic for handling neo-natal COVID cases.
She said the prefabricated centre at Pasteur Hill, Lawmali is an extension of the Ganesh Das Maternity & Child Hospital Shillong.
“Once the installation of power and water connection is completed by the departments concerned, the centre will be handed over to the medical superintendent of the hospital for utilisation,” Marak said.
Asserting that the state is now well-equipped to face any unprecedented eventuality, she said negative and unverified reporting would cast unpleasant aspersions on the working of the department and dampen the spirit of the entire workforce that has relentlessly made every extra effort during the global humanitarian crisis.
She said the report was erroneous and not factual.
“The department has put in its best foot forward even with all the limitations and constraints it had to encounter in the management of the pandemic during both the waves,” Marak said.
She claimed the sincere efforts of all involved tangibly strengthened the health system in the state, helping reach the citizens as much as possible.
“More efforts are being put in to ensure the improvement of various components of the health sector, which will be seen in the days to come, in line with a citizen-centric Health Policy that has been placed,” she added.
