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Assam to vacate medical college hospitals to tackle COVID 19, no positive case yet

Last Updated 27 March 2020, 14:09 IST

Assam on Friday started the process for vacating patients from three medical colleges in order to keep nearly 5,000 beads ready for coronavirus patients in case of an outbreak.

The state also decided to call the final year MBBS students, nursing students and ayurvedic students for a week-long training to prepare them to take care of the COVID-19 positive patients.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here that although the state reported no positive case yet, the department on Friday signed MOUs with 34 private hospitals and clinics in Guwahati to shift the 750 existing patients from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in the next 48-hours.

Similar MOUs would be signed with private hospitals in Dibrugarh and Silchar to vacate the Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh in eastern Assam and Silchar Medical College and Hospital in South Assam.

"As per the MOUs, the private hospitals will take care of other patients and we would gradually convert the three medical colleges into COVID-19 hospitals. They will be paid as per norms of Ayushman Bharat and Atal Amrit Scheme. But those having a higher rate of treatment charges will be paid accordingly after discussion. All private hospitals have agreed to help the government to prepare in advance for a grave situation in case of an outbreak," Sarma said.

This arrangement will initially remain in force for the next two months.

"However, the cancer treatment section, the maternity ward and the emergency ward of GMCH will remain open. But other patients will be shifted and directed to private ones. If we can vacate the three medical colleges like this, we will be able to keep nearly 5,000 beds ready for COVID-19 patients," he said.

The decisions came on a day when a large number of people came out to the markets here to buy food items raising concern about the futility of the lockdown. This prompted the state administration to immediately shut down the grocery shops.

Sarma said so far samples of 277 suspected COVID-19 patients were tested but all were found negative. Reports of another 31 samples, which were collected on Friday were awaited.

Sarma said the government will also issue tenders across the country on Saturday to set up five pre-fabricated hospitals for the next five years.

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(Published 27 March 2020, 13:21 IST)

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