Kolkata: State Health department has once again urged all the private hospitals and nursing homes in the state to increase bed capacity for Covid treatment.
The private hospital authorities have been asked to devote nearly 50 per cent of their total bed capacity for Covid treatment within the middle of August.
Steps have been taken after the infection rate across the state has gone up particularly in the city and its adjoining districts like North 24-Parganas, Howrah, South 24-Parganas, Hooghly.
The Health department had earlier requested the private hospitals to augment Covid infrastructure but most of the private hospitals have been showing apathy towards the increase in the number of beds exclusively dedicated for the Covid patients.
State government may take stern action if the private health establishments do not increase COVID-19 beds, sources in the Health department said. According to sources, in a recent meeting held by the senior health officials at Swasthya Bhavan through video conference, the private hospitals and nursing homes across the state were urged to dedicate nearly half of the total number of existing beds for Covid treatment.
The state government has already stressed upon the expansion of existing infrastructure in various state-owned COVID-19 hospitals and asked the other hospitals to enhance Covid infrastructure.
The Health department on previous few occasions had asked some of the top private hospitals in the city to make additional arrangements of Covid beds and CCU beds as there had been a rise in Covid infection.
The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) also requested the various private hospitals to increase the COVID-19 beds but no major development had taken
place.
"As the Covid infection curve is one the rise. Like the government hospitals, the private hospitals must come forward and treat the Covid patients in a more effective way. They have to increase Covid beds," a health official said.
According to the health department over 2,294 Covid beds are currently available with the private hospitals while the government hospitals have around 11,240 Covid beds.