Shillong Apr 2: The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Meghalaya has put in place protocols on transfer of non COVID-19 patients from outside the state following sudden upsurge of COVID-19 cases in the Northeast.

The protocol came after a meeting chaired by Meghalaya chief secretary, M S Rao which was attended by NEIGRIHMS director, D M Thappa and other Meghalaya health officials and  discussed about the surface of many positive COVID-19 cases in the North East including in Assam.

The meeting stressed that protocols should be in place for transfer of critically ill non COVID-19 patients to NEIGRIHMS.

Thappa in his letter to the Meghalaya chief secretary informed that only critically ill non COVID-19 patients certified by the concerned state health authority can seek treatment at NEIGHRIMS.

“In view of COVID-19 pandemic, the number of accompanying attendants of the non COVID-19 critically ill patient be limited to only one. At the border, the data of ambulance, driver, of the critically ill non COVID patients and accompanying person be maintained and certified by the state health authority,” Thappa said.

He also said that only patients as mentioned above will be accepted in NEIGRIHMS till the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

“Anybody/attendants of patients coming from other state will need to be quarantined for 14 days as per the government directives,” Thappa added.