Manipur CM visits hill districts to oversee arrangements for Covid-19 patients

Our Correspondent

Imphal, May 24 (EMN): After his continuous interaction with home isolation patients through video conferencing to understand their inconveniences, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday visited Ukhrul and Senapati–two hill district headquarters–to personally monitor the arrangements made for the Covid-19 patients.

On their arrival in a helicopter at Ukhrul, located about 84 km north-east of Imphal, the chief and officials were received by MLAs L Keishing, Khashim Vashum, deputy commissioner and district officials.

Later, they held a review meeting at Ukhrul mini Secreteriat to monitor the overall management of the second wave of the pandemic in Ukhrul and Kamjong districts. They discussed various measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 and ensure adequate supply of oxygen in the two districts.

To be able to accommodate more serious patients from both Ukhrul and Kamjong district, the TK Woodland tourist resort in Ukhrul will now be converted into a Covid Isolation Hospital equipped with 75 beds and 10 ventilators. This facility will be ready by May 29, it was informed.

Chief Minister Biren Singh accompanied by Advisor to CM (Health) Dr. Sapam Ranjan, MLAs and district officials visited the Covid Care Centre located at Ukhrul SDO’s office wherein Singh encouraged the patients to be ‘strong and fight the pandemic’.

Later, the team visited Senapati district headquarters, 60 km north of Imphal and held a review meeting to monitor the entire management of Covid pandemic in the district.

The meeting, which was attended by Public Engineering department Minister L Dikho, MLA N Kayisii of Tadubi constituency, deputy commissioner and SP led officials and representatives of civil society organisations discussed various measures to curb the number of Covid cases in the northern district.

The meeting further decided that a Covid testing facility will be set up at Mao gate, an entry point located between Manipur and Nagaland border, exclusively for the drivers entering Manipur through Mao. It decided that the government would set up one oxygen plant at Senapati, besides providing three more ambulances for the district. It was also decided that the number of ICU beds in the district would be increased to 10 and four more ventilators would be provided. During the visit, a BLS ambulance and 10 oxygen concentrators were handed over to the Senapati district authority.