Nine doctors have resigned from a private medical college and hospital in the city, reportedly in the apprehension that their aged relatives at home could be at risk if they treated Covid-19 patients, officials of the health department as well as the facility said on Friday.

KPC Medical College and Hospital, which lost the nine doctors, filled the vacancies with newly recruited doctors.

“Some doctors from the obstetrics and gynaecology department have resigned because they were apprehensive about treating Covid-19 patients. They have elderly people at home. We have resolved the issue by recruiting new doctors immediately,” Joydip Mitra, CEO of KPC Medical College and Hospital, said.

He said the doctors who had resigned were from all age groups, “not just the elderly”.

Asymptomatic pregnant women have tested positive for Covid-19 at several Calcutta hospitals, which may have frightened some gynaecologists, public health experts said.

Sources said a couple of weeks ago, the doctors who later resigned had sought more clarity from the hospital authorities on which patients had tested positive for Covid-19.

The hospital denied any lack of clarity. “There is a clear demarcation for Covid and non-Covid patients. There is no lack of transparency on our part,” said a KPC official.

Last month, a wing of the hospital in Jadavpur was turned into a designated Covid-19 treatment centre by the Bengal government. KPC officials said a five-storey building with 206 beds, including 13 in the intensive care unit, had been turned into a Covid-19 wing. The hospital has 750 beds overall.

Several senior doctors at some private hospitals in Calcutta are largely avoiding seeing patients for fear of contracting Covid-19, their authorities said.

Officials at AMRI Hospitals said many elderly doctors were refusing to see more than five or six patients at the outpatient department.

“Today, I had a discussion with some of these doctors and requested them to see more patients. Only a few patients are coming to the hospital now for treatment, and if we refuse them too, it is unfortunate,” said Rupak Barua, group CEO, AMRI Hospitals.

Public health experts said the fear of Covid-19 was influencing the way some segments of society were treating the patients.

“The fear of Covid is there across society and not only among doctors. The fear is affecting the outcome of Covid management in India,” said Abhijit Chowdhury, a public health expert.

People in home isolation are often hounded by their neighbours, and many doctors are refusing to see patients. Some local politicians have been accused of falsely demonising people who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Many other doctors are, however, treating patients after taking precautions.

“Two pregnant women whom I was treating had tested positive for Covid-19. But I’m taking precautions and treating patients. I’m getting myself tested for Covid at regular intervals so that I know whether I have been infected,” said gynaecologist Bikash Banerjee.