CM urged to cap hospital fees, avoid virus spread at vax centres
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 25 2021: Seeking the attention of Chief Minister N Biren, several youth organisations of the state including Girl Up Khonjel, Girl Up Manipur, Go Green Group, Mingsel Foundation, Paomi Post and Ya_All Northeast have proposed several measures to prevent spread of coronavirus and deaths.

The recommended measures include capping of hospital fee, increasing oxygen supply and hospitals beds among others.

In a joint letter addressed to the CM, the organisations pointed out that the poverty rate in Manipur is high.

Citing the model of the Kerala government which caps fees charged by private hospitals and restrict prices on essential medicines, the joint letter urged the state government to impose price caps on private hospitals and other medical requirements like oxygen cylinders specially the ones used in home isolation.

It pointed out that not everyone could afford the fees charged by private hospitals and private enterprises supplying medical equipment.

The joint letter further requested the government to set up vaccination centres in open spaces wherever possible instead of in closed rooms and buildings of hospitals and health centres so as to reduce the chances of people getting infected by the virus during inoculation.

Pointing out that people with disabilities often have to rely on their caretakers and their family members, the organisations sought special attention for people with disabilities and stressed that the government launch a helpline for them.

With regard to the alarming increase of Covid-19 positivity and fatality rate in the state, the organisations stated that setting up of temporary hospitals by utilizing unused structures would be a welcome step.

Segregating Covid and non-Covid patients in all the healthcare centres will help in saving more lives, it maintained and exhorted the government to increase the number of ICU beds, oxygen supply and ventilators and also to bring in the reserved police forces in fighting the pandemic as they could either set up field hospitals for COVID treatments or for vaccinations to effectively fight the pandemic.

The government must also make sure that all the government hospitals including RIMS, JNIMS and district hospitals have a helpline that functions 24x7, it continued, while pointing out that the Covid Control rooms don't have updated contact numbers of government hospitals.

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