Mediocre hosps not following COVID guidelines cause of concern for govt

Kolkata: Many mediocre nursing homes and private hospitals in the suburbs and some in the city have not allegedly been following the COVID-19 treatment protocol as a result of which non-COVID patients are getting affected with the deadly virus after they are admitted to the hospital.

This has become a cause of concern for the Health department officials. State Health department is keeping a tab on the nursing homes situated in North 24-Pargana, Howrah, Hooghly and in Kolkata as well. Steps may be taken against those hospitals who will be found not be following the norms set by the health department regarding the treatment of corona patients.

The Health department has recently come to know that in some cases, non-COVID-19 patients are getting admitted to various private hospitals for treatment. During or after admission the patient was found not to be affected with the virus. During his/her stay at the hospital the patients get infected. It is presumed that these private hospitals may be flouting standard guidelines. They are admitting patients who are either COVID suspects or affected. As the state government had announced that the private hospitals can admit COVID patients and the hospitals were also urged to erect a separate unit for the COVID. Some nursing homes in the districts are admitting the COVID suspects and non-COVID patients. Even many patients who are affected by the virus are reluctant to divulge details as to how many persons they have met before being admitted to the hospital. While some others are trying to hide their suspected symptoms only to avoid hospitalization or institutionalized quarantine complicating the situation further.

A senior Health department official said that surveillance would be carried out at all the nursing homes in the districts to ascertain if they are abiding by the norms set by the ICMR and the state government regarding the treatment of COVID patients. It may be mentioned here that the health department on Sunday formed four separate teams of senior doctors to carry out surveillance and monitor the implementation of management protocol at four COVID hospitals – Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), MR Bangur Hospital, AMRI Salt Lake and Desun Hospital.