Paediatric health infra: Over 2K beds to be set up across Bengal

kolkata: Ahead of a possible third wave of Covid, as a part of its augmentation of paediatric health infrastructure, state Health department is set to make an arrangement of total 2,348 beds in the CCU, PICU and NICU across Bengal.

"We are preparing around 1,550 CCU beds, 528 PICU beds (244 existing and 284 new) and 270 NICU beds (161 functional and 109 augmentation). A total 2,348 beds would be made ready in CCU, PICU and NICU as a part enhancing pediatric beds at critical care. Around 160 SNCU beds have been added taking the total 2,476 SNCU beds functional in the state," said Dr Ajay Chakraborty, Director of Health Services.

Training among doctors including pediatrician, general duty medical officers, nursing and other staff has been arranged. Expert committee has been formed to formulate a guideline regarding the treatment of the patients. List of medicines have been finalized by the expert committee and the process of procuring medicines has been started.

Single-day Covid infection has gone down to 510 on Monday from 561 on Sunday. Single day Covid fatality dropped to 7 on Monday from what stood at 8 on Sunday.

According to the health bulletin on Monday, as many as 56 fresh cases were detected in North 24-Parganas while in case of Kolkata the number was registered at 77. Darjeeling has seen 47 new cases, South 24-Parganas 50 and Hooghly 34. Coochbehar has reported 25 new cases, Howrah 40, Nadia 43. The fatality rate has been restricted within 1.19 percent. The positivity rate remained at 1.88 per cent on Monday.Around 18,371 people have so far died of Covid across the state. The recovery rate stood at 98.20 per cent on Monday. The total tally of COVID-19 infected cases reached 15,43,496 out of which around 15,15,789 patients have already been released from the hospitals so far. As many as 628 people were discharged from different hospitals on Monday. The percentage of occupancy of Covid beds in the State remains at 3.18.

Covid hospitals have been still functional in the state out of 196 are run by the government. There are around 23,947 earmarked Covid beds in the state and 2,861 ICU/HDU beds.