TAWANG, 26 Jul: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday inaugurated the 101-bedded inpatient department (IPD) building of the district hospital here, in the presence of Health Minister Alo Libang and local MLAs Jambey Tashi and Tsering Tashi.
He also inaugurated a 128 slice CT machine, and inspected the newly installed PSA oxygen plant at the hospital.
Addressing the doctors and employees of the hospital, Khandu said that
the Covid-19 pandemic brought with it a lesson.
“We were caught off guard when Covid started. We were in no position to deal with such a pandemic. But we woke up from our slumber and, with the help of the central government, we completely overhauled our health infrastructure. What we couldn’t do in the last 30-odd years, we did in two years,” he said.
While all the district hospitals are being upgraded, Khandu informed that, in the coming days, the government would “select, develop and equip one hospital each in each of the 60 assembly constituencies with all the facilities.”
He said that the government is procuring the latest equipments and recruiting doctors, nurses and technicians to meet the demand.
Urging the people to “learn to live with the virus,” Khandu said that “the only way forward is to get vaccinated and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.”
The CM also cautioned that the “latest and dangerous variants of the Covid virus” are prevalent in Arunachal.
“Therefore, we cannot down our guards. Officers, youths, panchayat leaders and educated village elders need to create awareness. People should be encouraged to get tested at the first hint of symptom. Most Covid-19 deaths in our state were due to late testing and late treatment,” he said.
He assured the people that more than two lakh doses of Covid vaccine are still in stock, and requested them to get vaccinated as per schedule.
The CM assured to provide a portable X-ray machine to the hospital and establish doctors’ quarters. He also inspected the availability of beds, besides the operation theatre, the labour and delivery ward, childcare facilities, etc, at the hospital. (CM’s PR Cell)
