Forty-five doctors out of around 180, along with 65 nursing and health staff, tested Covid positive, several others await test results at the Diamond Harbour Government Medical College and Hospital (DHGMCH).
Five out of 40 doctors of the gynaecology department are positive, whereas seven others are isolating and awaiting test results at the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital (BMCH).
Forty doctors out of a staff of 400, along with 28 students, are infected at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri.
Bolpur: Reports of rising infections among doctors and healthcare providers in medical colleges and hospitals across Bengal have led authorities to reshuffle duty rosters in an “impromptu” way to somehow go on treating patients.
Several government medical colleges and hospitals, which give healthcare to thousands of patients, including pregnant women from rural pockets, are reportedly facing threats to daily operation.
The situation on Thursday went “out of control” at the DHGMCH, the main hospital in South 24-Parganas district, that treats the rural populace of the Sunderbans and its adjoining areas. An emergency meeting was called on Thursday morning after 45 doctors out of 180 were found infected along with 65 other health workers. Officials said the Covid-testing unit of the hospital could not run in the face of staff shortage. Now, authorities have set up a new duty roster to run the facility with skeletal staff while keeping a reserve pool.
“We requested doctors to attend hospital regularly for at least five days without taking leave since we can use reserve resources in case those on duty get infected,” said Utpal Dan, principal of DHGMCH.
Dan on Thursday wrote to the state health department seeking permission to outsource pathological staff in order to conduct RT-PCR tests.
“Fourteen staff of the RT-PCR unit are among those infected and we can’t stop testing when infections are increasing. We have sought permission to outsource staff to run the unit,” Dan added.
In Burdwan, five out of 40 doctors of the gynaecology department tested positive and six more have been advised isolation on Thursday till their RT-PCR reports arrive. Principal of the medical college Prabir Sengupta is also infected. Officials said the gynaecology department in Burdwan was vital as patients from both East and West Burdwan, parts of Hooghly, Murshidabad, Bankura and Birbhum receive treatment at the facility.
“Around 50-70 pregnant women come here to deliver their babies every day. If one third of the doctors are infected, it will be difficult,” said a senior doctor at the BMCH.
Tapas Ghosh, the medical superintendent and vice-principal of Burdwan medical college, added: “It is a challenge for us and we are reshuffling our rosters daily based on Covid reports of our colleagues.”
Senior officials across various medical colleges of the districts said despite fewer infections compared to medical colleges in Calcutta, the challenge was managing staff rosters.
“Anyone can say infections among doctors and healthcare providers in medical colleges in Calcutta are higher than the districts. But we provide services to more patients with fewer human resources,” said an official in Rampurhat Medical College and hospital, where around 15 doctors have been infected.
Infections among the doctors and other healthcare providers in medical colleges in Murshidabad, Raiganj and Bankura were also reported this week. Officials at these hospitals said if the numbers rise, they will have to shut several services, including outdoor units.
In Durgapur, a private hospital closed its outdoor clinic after around 80 doctors and nurses tested positive.
Additional reporting by Avijit Sinha, Abhijeet Chatterjee and Alamgir Hossain
