The health department of Darjeeling district will open a hospital for Covid-19 patients at a new building on the premises of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), Sushanta Roy, the officer on special duty (OSD) deputed in north Bengal for Covid-19, said.
A 124-bed hospital would be opened in the building that was supposed to be used as a night shelter for families and relatives of patients but had remained unused.
“It is a four-storey building in an isolated location. There is space to set up 124 beds. Earlier, we had proposed to the state health department that the building could be used as a Covid hospital. We have received approval and we will soon open this facility here for Covid-19 patients,” said Roy.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in the district, the health department had been using two private nursing homes which it had acquired from authorities concerned to hospitalise patients.
Over the past few weeks, the number of cases in the district came down, which made the department plan on running a hospital on government premises and gradually vacate the private nursing homes.
On the new hospital, Roy said they would open a 20-bed critical care unit for serious Covid patients with 104 general beds for other Covid patients.
“We may need five to seven days to carry out civil and electrical work. The state
PWD department will be assigned with this responsibility,” he said.
“Once this pandemic period is over, this building would be used as the emergency unit,” said a hospital official.
Shopkeeper tests
To prevent contamination, the health department has planned tests for all shopkeepers who deal with hundreds of people every day.
“There are plans to start conducting Covid tests for all shopkeepers of the city. If any of them tests Covid-19 positive, he can be an easy transmitter as he comes in contact with numerous people. If he tests negative, the department will issue a certificate that it is a Covid-free shop. The same shop owner will be tested again after seven to ten days,” said an official.