'Only a few hosps in each dist to be kept for Covid treatment'
KOLKATA: State Health department has decided to reopen dedicated Covid hospitals in the districts for non-Covid treatment except one or two hospitals in each district which will still continue to provide dedicated services with adequate facilities. The development comes as Covid positive cases have remained under control in the state.
Health department has issued an order saying that one or two hospitals will only provide dedicated Covid treatment in the districts and the rest will be used for non-Covid patients. One or two Safe Homes will also remain operational in each district so that the infected patients with mild symptoms and suspected patients can be accommodated. Covid volunteers and other staff engaged in various hospitals may be relocated, said the order.
"Although the upward trend of Covid cases could be arrested, there is no room for complacency. Hence, one or two Covid hospitals/wards with adequate number of CCU/HDU/Covid PICU facilities and general beds should be kept ready in each district. Rest may be temporarily used for non-Covid patients," reads the order.
The final decision in this regard and time-to-time management will be done in consultation of the district magistrates in the district and MD National Health Mission in case of Kolkata. The Covid fatality has gone down across Bengal and the number of daily infections has been fluctuating between 700 and 800. State government has already been in the process of reopening non-Covid treatment in most of the hospitals which were earlier dedicated for Covid treatment when the daily infection went up to 9,000.
As Covid case load has fallen in the state and there are other non-Covid essential medical services that need to be prioritised.
The State Health department had already asked 13 government hospitals in the state to restart functioning as non-Covid hospitals till further orders.
These hospitals were earlier notified as designated Covid hospitals following an upsurge in Covid cases, said a health official.
