The Bengal government has decided to introduce 245 high dependency unit (HDU) beds for critical Covid-19 patients across North 24-Parganas after the district recorded alarmingly high deaths from the pathogen in the past few days.

“A total of 2,174 Covid beds, including 535 ICU beds, will soon be introduced across the state. Of them, 245 HDU beds are for North 24-Parganas as the number of deaths in the district in the past few days are alarmingly high,” said a senior state government official.

According to the figures available with the state health department, North 24-Parganas recorded 19 deaths from Covid on Wednesday, 18 on Thursday and 16 on Friday.

Only Calcutta logged a similar number of deaths in the past three days. The toll from the novel coronavirus in the city was 19, 16 and 24 on Wednesday, Thursday an Friday, respectively.

“Higher deaths in Calcutta is nothing unusual as critical patients are referred to the city from all over the state. If a district records similar number deaths like Calcutta, it demands highest attention from the state government,” said a senior bureaucrat.

According to the plan, the administration would soon set up 50 HDU beds at CNCI, Rajarhat, and 25 HDU beds at the Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital, both in North 24-Parganas.

Besides, 30 beds at the Ashokenagar State General Hospital, 40 beds at the Naihati State General Hospital and 40 beds at the Sree Balaram Seva Pratisthan in Khardah would be upgraded to HDU beds.

Besides, 80 beds at the Baranagar State General Hospital have been earmarked for Covid patients and 60 of them are HDU beds.

Sources said the HDU beds offered more intensive observation, treatment and nursing care than the beds in general ward but slightly less than those in intensive care units (ICUs).

“As critical Covid patients require oxygen support more than anything else, the additional HDU beds are likely to help the authorities bring down the number of deaths in North 24-Parganas,” said a senior government official.

The sources said the Covid graph of North 24-Parganas had prompted the state health department to upgrade the infrastructure in the district as it was putting additional pressure on the hospitals in Calcutta. “The number of coronavirus patients were increasing alarmingly in both Calcutta and North 24-Parganas. If critical cases of North 24-Parganas can be treated within the district, it would ease the pressure on Calcutta hospitals,” said a bureaucrat.

The bureaucrat said considering the manner in which Covid cases were shooting up in Calcutta, patients in the city might require more critical support in coming days.

“The only way we can deal with the situation is by decongesting the beds at Calcutta hospitals. This could be done if we can minimise the cases being referred from districts,” added the official.