Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday flagged off 50 vehicles to be used to transport COVID-19 positive persons to hospitals.
He flagged off the vehicles to be run on behalf of the Coimbatore Corporation during his visit to the Government Medical College and ESI Hospital. The Corporation had allotted 10 vehicles for each of the five zones.
At the ESI hospital, he interacted with the patients, doctors and staff.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani, Minister for Forests K. Ramachandran, Special Officer for COVID-19 management M.A. Siddique and other senior officials were present.
Earlier in Tiruppur, the Chief Minister inaugurated a 100-bed COVID-19 ward in the Government Medical College Hospital. While inspecting the arrangements made there, a release said, he checked the quality of food supplied to COVID-19 positive persons.
He then flagged off 20 vehicles to be used as car ambulance and gave appointment orders to six doctors and four nurses, who would be working on temporary basis.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy, Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan, Minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj and others were present.
Stalin visited the Government Erode Medical College Hospital at Perundurai where 300 oxygen-supported beds have been added to the existing 550 beds to treat COVID-19 patients. He inspected the facility that was created on a war-footing after the district saw a spike in positive cases this month.
Mr. Subramaniam, Mr. Muthusamy and Collector C. Kathiravan explained to the Chief Minister the steps being taken to increase the bed strength from the present 850 to 1,350 oxygen-supported beds in the hospital as patients from other districts also get treatment at the facility.
Mr. Stalin also distributed appointment orders to medical officers, who were appointed on contract for six months, for managing patients at government medical college hospitals. He also met the members of Olirum Erodu Foundation and appreciated their efforts in working for environmental protection and restoration of water bodies in the district.