Leader of the opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma, has expressed his unhappiness with the state of readiness in Ri-Bhoi with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Sangma said this while touring medical facilities in the district today to ascertain the facts on the preparations to face the second wave of the pandemic. In this he was accompanied by Congress MLAs Himalaya Shangpliang, Zenith Sangma, Mayralborn Syiem, George B Lyngdoh, Mawhati MDC Charles Marngar and officials, including Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah and Director of Health Services Dr Aman Warr.
The touring party visited the Maternity and Child Hospital in Umran Niangbyrnai, which the state government has allocated as a Corona Care Centre, and Nongpoh Civil Hospital, specifically the oxygen plant that was recently installed there.
Addressing the media afterwards, Dr Sangma said that the government’s preparations are not up to the mark. Ri-Bhoi has had 4,210 Covid-19 infections in all, 2,813 of which have been recorded since April 1 this year.
“Other than Shillong Civil Hospital, none of the [public] hospitals in the state can save the lives of Covid patients that require ICU (intensive care unit) intervention,” Dr Sangma said. “Ventilators have been provided by the government but training and manpower have not been provided to operate them.”
He was also worried that if the government has been unable to improve healthcare infrastructure sufficiently during the first and second waves of the coronavirus pandemic, Meghalaya would struggle just the same in dealing with a potential third wave.
The Congress will raise these issues with the government and offer its help in the fight against Covid, the opposition leader said.
