Ludhiana, May 6 (PTI) The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday opened a 25-bed COVID care centre at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Alamgir here for providing free health care to coronavirus patients.

SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur informed that the hospital, which would provide free oxygen and medicines to patients, would also be manned by medical and paramedical staff from the Guru Ram Das Medical College and Hospital, Amritsar. The president of SGPC, which is an apex gurdwara body, also announced that a fully equipped ambulance will be stationed at the centre which would be at the disposal of patients and their family members, in case there is any need to shift them to a super speciality facility.

In a statement, Kaur said three more COVID care centres would soon be opened at Takht Damdama Sahib Talwandi Sabo, Bholath and Patiala for which oxygen concentrators were being imported.

While congratulating the SGPC for taking up the humanitarian cause, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said it was the need of the hour and the committee has risen to the occasion to perform this 'sewa'.

In a video message, the SAD president said he was informed that the SGPC was importing hundreds of oxygen concentrators from different countries to save the lives of people.

He also appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to intensify efforts and arrange 5,000 oxygen concentrators as well as 50 lakh doses of vaccine for the people of the state.

The SAD president also urged the chief minister to put in place systems to check fleecing of patients in private hospitals.

He said he was getting numerous calls from different parts of the state mentioning that treatment in private hospitals was costing them between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

He asked the chief minister to fix the charges of medical care and also take an initiative to subsidise treatment expenses from state funds. PTI CHS VSD

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