Talwandi Sabo (Punjab), May 8 (PTI) The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Saturday opened a 50-bed COVID care centre at the Takth Damdama Sahib here to provide treatment to coronavirus patients.

Speaking on the occasion, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said as many as 25 beds are equipped with oxygen concentrators.

The centre will have eight doctors and 24 nursing staff round the clock, he said.

"All facilities, including oxygen, medicine and food, will be provided free of cost," said Badal, who was accompanied by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur.

The SAD leader said that such facilities are the need of the hour.

The Punjab government should come forward to build such facilities in all blocks of the state as the infection has spread to villages, Badal claimed.

He also advised COVID-19 patients to visit health facilities if necessary.

"The first few days are crucial. You must reach a COVID centre or hospital to fight and win against this disease at the earliest stage and not wait for it to damage vital organs including the lungs," said Badal in a statement issued here.

Thanking the SGPC president as well as Guru Ram Das Institute's Additional Secretary Dr A P Singh for the initiative, the SAD president also appealed to Bibi Jagir Kaur to import vaccines to fill the gap in its supply.

"We must ensure all our people are vaccinated. The central government has now allowed import of vaccines. We must do our best for this humanitarian cause," he said and also disclosed that the SGPC was importing oxygen concentrators.

Badal alleged that it was unfortunate, the state was caught off guard by the second COVID-19 wave despite ample warnings in this regard.

He said the Punjab government had "failed" to upgrade medical infrastructure and create much needed ICU facilities.

"Even ventilators which were purchased from my MPLAD funds are lying unpacked," he claimed.

Badal also made it clear that this was not the time to politicise the issue and said that everyone should work to fight the pandemic unitedly.

"The government should take pro-people measures, including putting a cap on charges of private hospitals which are being accused of charging between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh from a COVID-19 patient. The state can also subsidise or make COVDI treatment entirely free in private hospitals during this time of health emergency”, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)