Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Mar 27: Twelve persons have so far been tested for the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the state. Seven results came back negative, while the results of the remaining samples are awaited.
All the test samples are sent to Assam.
Health Secretary P Parthiban on Friday said that a four-bedded ICU with a ventilator is in operation at Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), Naharlagun.
The TRIHMS authorities had recently returned two ventilators that had been procured, as the ventilators were of low specifications and not suitable for a tertiary centre. They had also informed that the oxygen supply to the ICU for Covid-19 was yet to become operational.
This was followed by the health department recalling all 500 personal protective equipment (PPE) that had been supplied to the hospitals in the state, again because of poor quality.
Doctors had said that the PPE were not ISO marked and unfit for use.
The PPE were supplied to TRIHMS, RKM Hospital in Itanagar, general hospitals, and other healthcare facilities.
The health services directorate blacklisted the supplier of the PPE, M/s Shara Drugs, Itanagar, and said punitive action would be initiated against it.
TRIHMS has been designated as ‘Covid-19 hospital’ to deal with all cases related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Bakin Pertin General Hospital in East Siang HQ Pasighat will also be equipped with an ICU,” Parthiban said, adding that a consignment of 10,000 N95 masks and PPE are being awaited from the government of India.
“They will arrive very soon,” the health secretary said, adding that in India only one industry manufactures N95 masks and there are no local manufacturers of PPE.
Most of the masks and PPE available in India at the time of the outbreak were from abroad.
