Patients inconvenienced as several city hosps cease ops for sanitisation after COVID-19 deaths

Kolkata, Apr 17 () With several hospitals in thecity and neighbouring Howrah district ceasing operations afterpatients admitted there died due to Covid-19, people here havebeen largely inconvenienced, some having to do withouttreatment for their ailments over the past week.

Apart from Charnock Hospital, SS Chatterjee HeartClinic and state-run Howrah General Hospital -- which havecompletely shut down operations -- specific wards of RG KarMedical College and Hospital, NRS Medical College and Hospitaland the Calcutta Medical College have also stopped functioningfor the time being, with authorities there working to get thepremises sanitised, an official said.

The decision to shut down these facilities hasaffected many patients, who needed immediate treatment, butthe move was necessitated to ensure safety of people andmedical professionals, the health department official said.

A senior official at the Calcutta Medical College andHospital (CMCH), however, said that the number of patientsvisiting the facility for regular treatment has reduced sincethe imposition of the lockdown.

"After Covid-19 patients died here and our doctors andnurses were found to have contracted the disease, we had toclose some wards for sanitisation. Notices have been put up inthis regard outside the hospital building," he said.

Rohit Agarwal, a resident of Salt Lake, said he was ata loss trying to figure out where to take his father for hisweekly dialysis, with Charnock Hospital having shut down

"Charnock Hospital is closer to my place and my ailingfather can't travel for long... Also, amid the restrictions,finding another nearby hospital that would provide requisiteservices seems difficult. I don't know what to do." he said.

According to the health department official, nearly250 doctors, nurses, support staff as well as patients fromthe aforementioned hospitals have been put in isolation.

"It takes around 7 to ten days to complete thesanitisation process. Even the doctors and the nurses whotested positive require a minimum of 14 days time to recover.Our priority is to keep a check on the spread of Covid-19 sothat patients visiting the hospitals do not stand the chanceof getting infected," the official said.

Indrajit Dolui, a resident of Noapukur, complainedthat his wife, suffering from gynaecological problems, hadbeen "practically lying unattended at RG Kar hospital" overthe past few days.

"She has been keeping unwell... I think I might haveto look for a doctor elsewhere, at some other hospital. There,too, chances of infection remain..." he added. SCHRMS RMS