Rising Covid-19 hospitalisations are now affecting other hospital treatments in Kolkata. Despite patients having mild symptoms, senior citizens and co-morbid patients are being admitted, which is putting a pressure on hospital infrastructure and staff.
From the first week of January, Covid-19 cases in Kolkata have been soaring with high positivity rate. On Tuesday, 21,098 people tested positive for the virus in West Bengal, of which 6,565 cases were from Kolkata.
Archana Kanungo, 73, has severe nerve disease. But her doctor is now assigned to the Covid-19 out-patient department. She has an appointment in another hospital, but that, too, has fully become a Covid hospital. Her daughter Shreya Kanungo said, “My mother is more than 70 and she needs treatment; we have tried tele-consultation, that is not working. We have to take her, a lot of chambers and OPDs are closed now. We have got an appointment in one hospital, which is now a Covid hospital. I can’t take my mom there, it’s risky. Her treatment is delayed. The same is happening with my brother, who is autistic and needs treatment but that, too, is getting delayed.”
There are hundreds of similar cases. Patients suffering from heart, kidney and cancer related diseases were getting affected due to rising hospitalisations, said health experts.
Rupali Basu, managing director and CEO of Woodlands Hospital, Kolkata, said, “All our 65 Covid beds are occupied at the moment. Of the 115 non-Covid beds, only 50% are full. Non-covid treatments are getting affected and we have seen a dip in the number of elective surgeries. Similarly, OPD footfall has fallen by 50% as most people are switching to video consultations,” she said.
City-based cardiologist Dr Kunal Sarkar said health experts were now concerned about these patients. “A lot of my patients, too, are waiting. There is a tendency among people of seeking hospitalisation even if they have mild symptoms. Hospital beds are filling up and patients with other serious ailments are not getting treatment,” said Dr Sarkar.
Three problems have been highlighted. First, old patients are scared of undergoing treatment thinking that they will get Covid-19. Second, patients with serious illnesses such as cancer are testing positive, due to which their treatment is getting delayed. Last, with health workers contracting the viral infections, many doctor’s chambers or OPDs at different hospitals are closed.
Dr Indranil Khan, an oncologist, said, “This is what happened in first and second waves as well. A lot of chemotherapy patients did not come for their rounds and were affected.”
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment