To tackle COVID-19, Assam government and National Health Mission (NHM), Assam have spent Rs 1,032.49 crore, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the ongoing assembly session.
An amount of Rs 513.61 crore has been released to various districts for upgrade of existing hospitals, maintaining screening and quarantine centres, including institutional and home stay and ensuring home quarantine, Sarma further said.
Also, Rs 4.15 crore have been released to various medical colleges for expenditures related to COVID-19 management.
The NHM has released Rs 172 crore for incurring various expenditures on COVID-19 related testing, including those in private labs, and for procuring life-saving drugs and other personnel protection equipment Rs 76.20 crore has been spent.
For procuring various infrastructural equipment like ventilators and ICU beds among others an amount of Rs 47 crore has been spent.
Assam spent Rs 44 crore on stranded people during COVID-19 pandemic
On transportation of both patients and stranded people, the Assam government has incurred an expenditure of Rs 44 crore and Rs 3.60 crore has been spent on information education campaign activities related to the pandemic. An amount of Rs 7.03 crore has been spent on engagement of additional human resources, training and quarantine stay of frontline workers, while Rs 2.11 crore has been spent on administrative expenses, reported The Assam Tribune.
The NHM has also released Rs 160.88 crore as direct benefit transfer or financial assistance to the needy people, including those stranded abroad during the lockdown.
The health minister also informed that though the COVID-19 Death Audit Board has identified 1,037 deaths due to the novel coronavirus till December 27, a total of 1,357 people had died with COVID-19 during that period. The others had various co-morbidities and so it cannot be said that they died due to COVID.
He further informed that 2,781 cleaners were engaged on temporary basis in the quarantine centres across the State. These cleaners will get priority in further recruitments to be conducted by the health department and NHM.
