Dimapur needs to prepare for the worst — Kikheto

More private hospitals asked to arrange Covid beds

Dimapur, May 16 (EMN): Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Y Kikheto Sema on Sunday stated that Dimapur needs to ‘prepare for the worst’ after revealing that the district alone accounts for 61% of the Covid positive cases in Nagaland.

Sema, who is also the nodal officer for Covid related activities in Dimapur, expressed the ‘urgent need of beds and oxygen as all the available facilities in both government and private hospitals have run out of the same,’ an update from DPRO Dimapur informed.

Team Dimapur, led by the APC and Commissioner of Police Dimapur, Rothihu Tetseo visited Olive Hospital Dimapur on Sunday. It said that the team called on the director, Ikheto Sema who informed that all 70 beds of the hospital were full.

The APC requested the director to start a makeshift camp at the hospital with at least 30 beds to be activated by next week. He directed the district administration to request the Indian Army for setting up the makeshift camp at Olive Hospital similar to that at Eden Hospital.

Later, the team also visited Nikos Hospital where they interacted with Dr. Vickto Wotsa, President of Private Doctors’ Association Dimapur. 

It said that the hospital was getting ready to activate 15 Covid beds by Monday.

Further, Sema is reported to have asked Nagaland Police to get 30 Covid beds ready at Police Referral Hospital Chumoukedima by next week.

The nodal officer also appealed to the citizens who have oxygen cylinders at home for emergency use to “give on loan and to save lives instead of keeping it idle”, stating that it was difficult to meet the demand of bed and oxygen requirements despite cooperation from all the hospitals in Dimapur.

It may be mentioned that Team Dimapur has so far created about 58 Covid beds -- including 28 at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) in addition to the earlier 76 beds -- 10 beds at Zion Hospital activated on May 15, 10 beds at Faith Hospital in addition to the earlier 41 beds; and 10 at Eden Hospital. Another 45 Covid beds is expected to be activated on Monday -- 30 makeshift tents at Eden Hospital and 15 at Nikos Hospital.

Team Dimapur visits Naga cemetery

Team Dimapur later visited the New Naga cemetery at Zani and paid respect to the souls of those who have succumbed to the virus.

It said that the team had arrived when the 75th victim of Covid-19 from Dimapur was brought to the cemetery for burial.

“Pained to observe the absence of pastors/ reverend at the burial site, Sema volunteered to pray before the burial took place and consoled the family members of the deceased,” it read.

He assured that the government would continue to ‘protect the loved ones’.

The APC expressed his appreciation to Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) for ‘timely establishment of the cemetery’ stating that the old cemetery would not have accommodated such a huge number of burials.

He particularly thanked former NCD chairman Late Ghokheto Chophy and the land donors for preparing the cemetery “which has eased the burden of burials at this time of Covid crisis”.

He also lauded the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) Task Force, SDRF and Home guard personnel for management and burial of Covid related deaths. Sema said it was one of the “toughest jobs which deserves appreciation from all quarters”.

The nodal officer also appreciated the Western Sumi Hoho for its decision to extend monetary allowances to the DMC and SDRF personnel involved in the burial of each Covid victim.