The Tripura government has decided not to shift all COVID-19 patients to two dedicated hospitals in Agartala and create district wise medical facilities for treatment of non-critical patients. Senior Minister Ratan Lal Nath said COVID-19 Care Centres (CCC) would be available in all eight districts to treat virus-infected people.
The decision was taken in view of the unexpected surge in the number of patients essentially in BSF where officers, personnel and family members accounted for 150 of the 152 positive cases detected till Monday night.
The CCC was ready to admit patients in six districts and preparations are under way in the two remaining districts, health officials said on Tuesday.
The GBP Hospital and the hospital of the BSF Tripura Frontier Hospital are now marked as dedicated hospitals. Besides, an isolation unit has been created at the IGM Hospital, but unlikely to be used unless the situation compels as it is a general maternity hospital, officials said.
The State government also transformed the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel here in New Capital Complex area into a 300-bed CCC despite objections from local residents.
Mr. Ratan Lal Nath said preparations had been completed to deal with the pandemic-linked health situation.
Travellers stranded in Bangladesh
The Minister said several travellers from Tripura are stranded in Bangladesh amid the lockdown restrictions. He said the government is working to bring them back home.
Trains and hired buses have started journey with stranded people from different destinations in India. Officials are expecting to receive 37,721 of them.
The government requisitioned a dozen hostels of schools and colleges for quarantining people after their initial screening on arrival at rail stations and bus terminus.