COVID-19: Meghalaya urges Centre to allow setting up of 2 more testing facilities in state

Shillong, Apr 25 () The Meghalaya government hasurged the Centre to allow setting up of two more testingfacilities in the state to tackle the novel coronavirusoutbreak, Health Minister A L Hek said on Saturday.

One COVID-19 patient has died in Meghalaya while 11others are afflicted with the disease so far. There is onlyone testing facility in the state, at the North Eastern IndiraGandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences(NEIGRIHMS) here.

"I have urged Union Minister of Health and FamilyWelfare Dr Harsh Vardhan to consider increasing the testingfacilities in the state," Hek told .

He had attended a video conference with the Unionhealth minister on Friday.

The state health minister said he has proposed settingup of one testing facility each at the NEIGRIHMS here and theTura Civil Hospital in West Garo Hills district.

"This will go a long way in helping the governmenteffectively combat COVID-19," he said.

The Union health minister has assured to look into therequest, Hek said.

At present, NEIGHRIHMS has the capacity to test 100samples every day. The state government had recently said onemore machine will be installed at the institute which willenhance its daily testing capacity to 180.

"I have briefed the Union minister that the East KhasiHills district has been categorised as a 'red zone' and allthe positive cases reported so far were from one source only,"he said.

All the frontline workers are well prepared to dealwith the situation and officials concerned have been directedto ensure that all necessary equipment including PPE kits besent to the medical facilities across the state on time, Hekadded. JOPACD ACD