‘No Proper Food, Water’: Assam COVID-19 Centre Patients Block NH31
Health and Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said that the Assam government is taking care of all expenditure.
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Alleging lack of adequate food and water supply, nearly hundred patients from the COVID-19 Care Centre in Assam’s Kamrup district blocked the National Highway 31 in protest on Thursday, 16 July.
According to PTI, the patients claimed that they were neither given adequate food and water, nor was the condition of their bed “up to the mark”. They also reportedly claimed that 10-12 of them were stuffed together in a single room.
PTI reported that it was only after Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Kailash Kartik arrived at the spot and assured them that their concerns will be discussed and resolved, that they returned to the centre.
Himanta Biswa Sharma, Assam’s Health and Welfare Minister, reportedly stated that the Assam government is taking care of all expenditure “from testing to their (patients’) stay and food”.
According to PTI, Sharma also pointed out that the patients are brought to the facility to be cured, but if they are unhappy there, they can sign an undertaking and go into home quarantine.
According to the Assam government website, so far, there have been 20,646 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. Out of these 7,039 are active, and 13,554 have recovered. The website states that there have been 50 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 in Assam.
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