Separate outpatient departments have been opened at eight state-run health establishments in the Alipurduar district for people who recovered from Covid-19 but face different complications now.

“We have come across a number of post-Covid-19 cases. After recovering from the infection, there are people who are suffering from different ailments and need healthcare. That is why the separate OPDs have been opened for them at the hospitals. The OPDs started functioning from Tuesday and people are turning up with different complications,” said Subarna Goswami, a deputy chief medical officer of health in the district.

According to doctors, recovered Covid patients are reporting hypoxia, general weakness, cough and cold, and ailments in stomach, liver and kidney.

As such cases are being reported across the state and in the district, the health department took the initiative to open the OPDs at the Alipurduar district hospital, the super specialty hospital in Falakata, the state general hospital in Birpara and five rural hospitals in other parts of the district.

The performance of the health department in Alipurduar to handle the pandemic has earned appreciation from the state government and also the World Health Organisation. This is because the department, along with the administration, had initiated preventive measures since January this year and could control the pandemic to a considerable extent.

“The opening of OPDs is yet another move that will help the district handle the situation. In other districts and in different parts of the country, it has been found that people have died because of such complications, even after recovering from Covid,” said a doctor at the district hospital.

From Wednesday, sources said, the second phase of sero-surveillance, according to the guidelines of the ICMR, will commence in the district.

“We will collect blood samples from 400 people residing in different parts of the district to conduct antigen tests. This would give us an idea as to what extent the pandemic has spread in Alipurduar,” said a health official.

So far, around 3,000 Covid patients have been found in the district and 12 have died. The death toll is much lower than the other districts of north Bengal.