GUWAHATI, August 17: The Centre has allocated Rs 1,352.92 crore under an emergency COVID response package for the Northeastern states to strengthen its health infrastructure and tackle the pandemic effectively.
This was announced by Union health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya while chairing a review meeting on public health response to COVID-19 with the health ministers of Northeast states here on Tuesday.
“By utilising the fund, the Northeastern states can enhance health facilities to combat the pandemic more aggressively,” Mandaviya said.
The minister also said that the fund would assist the states to procure medicine, keep buffer stock and adequate stock of oxygen and put in place sufficient beds in hospitals at the district and local levels, including beds for ICUs.
He assured that the Centre would ensure regular supply of vaccines to the states of Northeast so that maximum people are vaccinated within the next few months.
The Union health minister also informed that in-depth discussions were held during the review meeting where the state health ministers offered their suggestions to combat the pandemic better in this region and to achieve vaccination for their people at the shortest possible time.
He appreciated the Northeast states for their efforts to control the spread of the pandemic during the period when this region was hit by the second wave.
Asked about the possible threat of a third wave in the Northeast region, Mandaviya was hopeful that the state governments are fully prepared and equipped to thwart any such possibility.
“The Centre has been constantly monitoring the COVID situation in the region and is committed to provide all necessary assistance to all the states to tackle the pandemic better,” he said.
Assam health minister Keshab Mahanta and ministers from other states of the Northeast gave an overview of the COVID situation and their strategies to combat the pandemic in their respective states through brief presentations.
Health ministers of Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland were present in the deliberation while the education and law minister of Tripura and adviser to the chief minister of Manipur represented their respective states in the review meeting.
