No food arrangements at CCCs add to inmates' woes
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 01 2021: Without a viable Government mechanism and assistance to provide food to patients at Covid Care Centres (CCCs), families across the State are facing tremendous hardship amid the curbs imposed due to the pandemic.

Boosting the immune system of the patients is key to combat Covid infection, however, many in the Covid Care Centres with mild infections are without timely food.

This hardship is mainly being faced by the poor section of the people and those who do not have immediate family members to prepare food and deliver it to the CCCs.

Even though several organisations and public leaders have been urging the Government to devise a policy to provide food at the CCCs, it is yet to address the issue.

Apart from the issue of food, many CCCs lack proper resting areas and hygienic toilets.

A 30-year-old Covid patient at Covid Care Centre opened at SC Girls' Hostel, Kakching said all six members of his family are at different CCCs with Covid infection.

No food arrangements at CCCs add to inmates' woes

"We are a family of six and all of us are staying at different Covid Care Centres after testing positive.

As all of us are at Covid Care Centres, there is no one left in the family to prepare and deliver food to us.

Luckily, some friends and members of our extended family are providing food for us," he said.

With rising deaths and Covid cases coupled with the curfew imposed, people are afraid to go out of their houses.

Sections of the people, especially daily wage earners, are without means to earn income amid the curbs.

"Amid such a situation, my friends and extended family would not be able to continue providing food daily.

They too are facing the brunt of the pandemic and they are risking infection and putting the lives and health of their family members at risk by stepping outside their houses and delivering food to us," said the 30-year-old.He said it would be very helpful if the Government brings out a workable plan to provide food to the Covid patients at the care centres and lamented that doctors and nurses can do better at the Covid Care Centres.

He further asserted that the SC Girls' Hostel has only one oximeter that all the patients share.

There should also be enough ambulances for timely evacuation of severe cases to more well equipped CCCs and hospitals, he said.

On the other hand, some attendants (family members of patients) at the Covid Care Centre at Kakching Higher Secondary said the centre lacks proper resting place for patients to sleep and toilet facilities.

Both the patients and the attendants are sharing the same toilets and as such, one of them had contracted the disease recently, said a 43-year-old attendant.

While some of the attendants sleep at night inside their four wheeler vehicles, others sleep at close proximity with the patients due to lack of space.

As putting the mask on while sleeping is difficult, some of the attendants sleep without masks at close proximity with the patients, said the attendant.

The doctors and the nurses at the centre are very good in their duties and they are treating the patients with dedication.

However, as the CCC lacks specialists, pregnant women and other patients are receiving advice from specialists on phone.

The CCC should at least have a gynaecologist to look after expecting mothers, said the attendant.

A 17-year-old patient at Lamboikhongnangkhong Covid Care Centre said they are arranging food and drinking water themselves.

He is incurring a huge expenditure in buying food and water from a catering service, said the teenager.

At the Lamboikhongnangkhong CCC, a man from Kakching district who was staying at a rented house in Imphal said he is also buying food, water and even hand sanitiser as he has none in Imphal to arrange for his food.

He said Government intervention in the matter would lift a huge burden from the patients and their families and help better fight the disease in a very systematic way.