Imphal, October 19 2020: Six student organizations of Manipur staged a sit-in protest urging the Manipur government to review its strategy to fight COVID-19 pandemic.
Protesting against the Government’s alleged ‘inaction and poor’ containment measures in fighting COVID-19 pandemic in the State, volunteers of six student organizations, namely DESAM, AMSU, AIMS, KSA, MSF and SUK staged a sit-in at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai Community Hall today.
Volunteers of the student organizations raised several demands, including a comprehensive policy for countering COVID-19 pandemic in the State and setting up of a COVID dedicated hospital within a week.
DESAM president Nameirakpam Edison decried that there are ‘loopholes’ in the Government measures being taken up to fight COVID-19 .
He stated that the State Government has not taken up ‘appropriate measures’ to tackle the pandemic in the State even though the spike in the number of positive cases has reached an alarming situation with the detection of around 450 cases on a single day.
Informing that the six student organizations have been pressing the State Government to form a comprehensive policy for combating COVID-19, Edison lamented that the State Government is turning a blind eye on the prevailing situation of the pandemic and has not responded to the pressure exerted by the organizations.
The DESAM president went on to convey that the six organizations will be submitting a 12 point proposal to the Chief Minister to be translated into action by tomorrow.
It may be mentioned that the six organizations had earlier announced a 12 point proposal which include appointment of full time Medical Minister and setting up of 500 bedded COVID-19 hospital within a week and preparation of another 500 patient intake capacity hospital in the near future.
Their demands also include setting up of a State COVID-19 Task Force besides daily or tri-weekly press briefings by the Government, increasing COVID-19 Intensive Care Units with ventilators not less than 200 along with adequate oximeter and medicines.
They had also demanded that either JNIMS or RIMS be designated as a dedicated non-COVID hospital and recruit 100 doctors and nurses to fight COVID-19 successfully.
