Kolkata: Taking a slew of measures to stem the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Mamata Banerjee government has further upgraded the health infrastructure by increasing the number of beds for treatment of patients suffering from Coronavirus and setting up of more safe homes.
There will be an increase in another 4,000 beds in state-run and private hospitals for the treatment of Covid patients. "Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital is getting converted to a dedicated COVID-19 hospital. At the same time, 110 beds at NRS Medical College and Hospital have been dedicated for the same. It will also begin in Islamia Hospital. Private hospitals, including Woodlands and Desun have also assured of increasing beds for COVID-19 treatment. AMRI Dhakuria will also come up with 300 to 400 beds. It will help in increasing the total number of beds by 3,500 to 4,000," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday at Nabanna adding that steps have also been taken to set up safe homes at Gitanjali Stadium and Kishore Bharati Stadium in Kolkata. Already, 106 safe homes are in place in the state.
At present, there are 10,992 beds in 80 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Bengal including 26 state-run ones. The move of setting up more beds has been taken as the occupancy rate in state-run hospitals is too high. "The high occupancy rate in state-run hospitals reflects the trust of people on the treatment provided here. Health infrastructure in other places is not as good as it is here. Bengal is the best in the health sector with an increase in the health budget and the creation of a necessary infrastructure in the past nine years. But we are not magicians that we will improve the situation in just a day," Banerjee said.
In a bid to ensure that more people get treatment in state-run hospitals, Banerjee urged the High Power Committee to look into the provisions of releasing a patient, following doctor's advice, if he or she gets cured even before the set time of 14 days.
As a preventive measure, the state government has brought down attendance at all government offices from 70 to 50 percent and instruction has also been given for sanitisation of offices every week. "Sanitisation at Nabanna will be carried out on Fridays and Thursdays. I would also urge private companies to sanitise their offices at least once a week," Banerjee said after directing authorities to look into the request of bank authorities to let them work till 2 pm every day and to keep their officer shut on weekends.
Urging all to cooperate in the Covid fight, Banerjee on Thursday said setting up of quarantine centres at community halls and even cremation of deceased patients were not allowed at many places. Stating the need to set up at least two more crematoriums in Kolkata, she said: "Do I create a pyre on my body for the cremation of people who are dying due to COVID-19. Everybody needs to understand that this has to be resolved with a humane approach and not politically. Thirty people die in a day, though in most cases due to comorbidity and Dhapa is the only place for their cremation."
She also urged the media not to highlight stray incidents to create a negative impression of the state.
Giving data on deaths due to COVID-19 in the state, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said: "82 percent of the total deaths are due to comorbidity. These people were suffering from diseases including hypertension, cardiac trouble, chronic kidney disease, COPD and cancer and COVID-19 was an additional factor. Only 18 percent died due to COVID-19 and they could have been saved if brought to the hospital at the right time."
Banerjee condemned the incidents of agitation outside safe homes and hospitals for minor issues. She expressed her concern over the increase in the number of cases in the high-rises.