Manipur Congress vice-president K Ratankumar on Sunday drew attention of the chief minister to start renovation of district hospitals and unused government buildings for treatment of COVID-19 patients instead of utilising schools and colleges.
Ratankumar told the media at a press conference held at Konchak Makha Leikai, Mayang Imphal assembly constituency that considering the future career of students, schools and colleges should not be engaged for quarantine centers or hospitals.
To treat COVID-19 patients, the state government has been taking various initiatives, and to treat the excessive number of patients from JNIMS and RIMS, the government has been engaging UNACCO School, Meitram as COVID Care Center. Various schools and colleges, including both government and private ones, are being used as quarantine centers.
Mayang Imphal hospital is also one of the largest hospitals which could accommodate about 600 patients. But due to untimely renovation, the said hospital is left unused, the Congress leader said.
Ratankumar said as per expert opinions, the pandemic might last longer but there are speculations that a vaccine of the said disease could be invented by September. But the type of disease can be considered as a recurring process as no cure of the disease is yet to be invented till date, he said.
The vice president urged the government to renovate district hospitals and other unused government buildings to use at this time instead of engaging schools and colleges for treatment of patients.