Doctors and other medical personnel attending to Covid-19 patients in Calcutta will train their counterparts at hospitals across Birbhum district via video conferencing from Monday.

The health department move is aimed at ensuring medical professionals are not carriers of the novel coronavirus.

“If a doctor is found to be a Covid-19 patient, it necessitates a bulk of medical staff to be sent into quarantine. It is a challenge for us. So, it is time to be more careful while handling patients at dedicated Covid hospitals,” a health official said.

Bengal has 61 designated hospitals spread across its 23 districts to treat Covid-19 patients.

Doctors from Beleghata ID hospital — the chief quarantine centre — and MR Bangur hospital in Tollygunge — the main Covid treatment centre - will conduct the training through video conference.

Himadri Ari, the chief medical officer of health in Birbhum, said medical personnel would receive training on treating patients from admission to diagnosis and properly sanitising wards and using personal protective equipment.

Abhijit Chowdhury, the convener of the global advisory committee and a member of the expert committee on Covid-19 in Bengal, held a meeting with the district administration, police and health officials at Suri circuit house last week to discuss the training. The advisory committee is headed by Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee.

Birbhum has two dedicated hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients.