The state health department is preparing a list of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals across government-run hospitals who can be deployed in the health-care units reserved for Covid-19 patients, officials said on Tuesday.
“Physicians, pulmonologists and anaesthetists are needed to treat coronavirus patients with moderate to severe symptoms. There will also be a lot of patients with mild symptoms. For them, the government is planning to prepare a pool of doctors from every field,” said an official of the health department.
Bengal has 59 dedicated hospitals for coronavirus patients.
The doctors who will run surveillance on patients with mild symptoms “can be from any discipline such as general surgery and pharmacology”, the official said. If the condition of any patient with mild symptoms turns critical, he or she will be shifted to a better centre and will remain under the care of a specialist.
“There are not enough specialists in government hospitals. It may not be possible to deploy pulmonologists and anaesthetists for all patients if the number rises significantly. So, doctors from other fields are being brought in,” the official said.
The number of patients admitted at most hospitals across Bengal that are not designated for Covid-19 treatment has reduced significantly since the lockdown was announced. The number of inpatients at most such hospitals is a third of the usual count, health department officials said.
The decision to redeploy doctors in the government health sector for treatment of Covid-19 patients has been taken following a recommendation from a task force of doctors formed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“Some doctors have already been redeployed to Infectious Diseases and Beleghata General Hospital, one of the dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in Calcutta. A list is being prepared to redeploy more such doctors,” an official said.
Health department officials said that according to the protocol of treatment of coronavirus patients, there will be three specialist doctors for every 50 beds and one for every 10 beds thereafter.
If a coronavirus hospital has 200 beds, it will have 18 specialist doctors — three for 50 beds and one for every 10.
“According to data available from across the world, 55 to 60 per cent coronavirus patients have mild symptoms. Between 15 and 20 per cent have moderate symptoms and around 10 per cent suffer from severe symptoms. We have classified the treatment centres on those lines,” the official said.
According to initial plans, doctors from hospitals near the ones designated for Covid treatment will be drafted into the scheme. The government is also making arrangements for accommodation of doctors, nurses and technicians if they are brought from other districts or towns, said officials.
Each coronavirus hospital, in addition to the critical care gadgets they already have, will have additional four ventilators — including one with a bi-pap machine and a mobile ventilator — to be allocated by the government.
The private hospitals, too, are preparing a roster of doctors for treatment of Covid-19 patients. “We have made a roster for three sets of doctors and nurses. Each set is being sent to home quarantine for two weeks by turn,” said the CEO of a private hospital.
