In view of the spurt in Covid-19 cases among doctors and employees at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH), Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday suggested that a separate isolation ward be set up for patients visiting the hospital for emergency treatment.
In Jorhat about 60 healthcare workers have been infected by the virus including three doctors.
The minister, who is on an upper Assam tour, visited the JMCH on Saturday morning.
He further said that these patients should be isolated, and doctors wearing PPE kits should examine them.
He further said that these patients should be tested for Covid 19 infections, the results of which should be given within 8 to 12 hours, and if they tested negative, only then should they be shifted to other wards.
The minister after donning a PPE kit went inside the ICU where four Covid-19 patients were being treated.
He said that out of the four, three Covid -19 infected patients in the ICU were doing well but one old woman was lagging.
Sarma further interacted with other affected patients in the Covid ward, who he said were also doing well.
He said the rate of Covid 19 infections in Jorhat and Guwahati were almost the same.
“In a population of 10 lakh in Guwahati, about 500 on average are found to be positive daily. In Jorhat, out of the 1 to 1.5 lakh about 60 are found to be positive daily, the per cent being the same, ” he said.
The minister said that the Centre had cautioned the state that there would be about 65,000 positive cases in the state by August and to keep every district hospital stocked with oxygen cylinders.
Sarma, however, said that probably they would be able to keep the numbers down given the lockdowns being imposed in those districts which witnessed an increase in cases.
In view of increase in community transmission in Jorhat, Sarma instructed that rapid antigen tests should be carried out in order to give out the results faster.