COVID cases have been surging across India, and West Bengal has been one of the worst affected states in this ‘third wave’. The state clocked 24287 cases on 9 January with 8712 cases from Kolkata alone.
Unsurprisingly, this comes shortly after the city celebrated Christmas and New Year's, where popular places like Park Street and Bow Barracks saw massive crowds most of whom were sans masks and social distancing norms.
Despite restrictions put in place, the city continues to bear the brunt, as cases continue to rise with a positivity rate of 41.93%.
What is surprising and worrying this time around is that a significant number of healthcare workers and doctors have been infected. Over 1000 doctors and healthcare workers have been infected by COVID-19 in the past week in Kolkata alone.
This has put immense pressure on the healthcare system because the infected, despite not being serious, must be isolated for the stipulated amount of time.
Several Healthcare Staff Affected in Kolkata
Government hospitals have been the worst affected in the city as the Calcutta National Medical College reported over 200 COVID-19 cases by 9th January including both healthcare workers, nurses, doctors and the principal. NRS Medical College and hospital has reported at least 70 cases.
At least 60 doctors from Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, at least 35 doctors and some healthcare workers from R Ahmed Dental College, and at least 10 doctors from the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology have also tested positive.
Besides these, several doctors and staff from Beleghata ID, MR Bangur have also tested positive according to the Indian Express. It also reported that at least 24 medical practitioners from Chittaranjan Seva Sadan and Shishu Sadan Hospital in Kalighat have tested positive.
According to sources, at least 50 staff members including nurses and doctors have tested positive in SSKM hospital too.
While private hospitals haven’t been hit as badly as their government counterpart, Woodlands hospital has seen at least 50 of its healthcare staff test positive for COVID-19.
According to Times of India, 42 staff at AMRI have tested positive, while 150 healthcare workers including nurses and doctors have tested positive at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences and Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Howrah
The news outside the city isn’t great either as at least half a dozen healthcare workers from East Burdwan , Hooghly and Jhargram, reportedly tested positive on Friday, 31st December.
In Birbhum, several doctors, nurses and health staff tested positive which include the CMOH of Birbhum, while a 58-year-old deputy chief medical officer of health in Purulia, passed away on 2nd January in Kolkata, according to PTI.
Adverse Impact on Kolkata's Healthcare Sector
A resident doctor on the condition of anonymity said that one of the major reasons why so many healthcare staff have been affected this time is because government hospitals often experience massive crowds.
Most of the people neither wear masks nor maintain COVID protocols. Because cases were low until December, many didn’t get tested either, which led to healthcare workers and doctors getting affected.
While most of the reported cases aren’t severe, the doctors and staff still need to be isolated at home for the stipulated amount of time (which was 14 days until 5 January when it was reduced to 7 days).
This, coupled with the delay in NEET PG counselling is leading to a massive crunch in manpower in the healthcare sector, putting pressure on the system to tackle the surge.
Doctors and healthcare staff have told various media that it is getting increasingly tough for them to provide the required services, with such a shortage in staff.
Some hospitals have also deferred some of their planned elective surgeries and procedures to tackle the manpower shortage.
Association of Health Service Doctors (AHSD) have written to CM Mamata Banerjee expressing concern over the matter.
“The alarming rate of transmission, just at the very outset of this current wave, within the medical caregivers could lead to the system collapsing in a short period,” Professor Manas Gumta, general secretary of ASHD told the Indian Express.
Some of their demands included the reduction of isolation period of healthcare workers from 10 days to five and the resumption of 24x7 COVID control rooms.
However, in a relief to the healthcare sector, the Centre has revised guidelines for home isolation where an infected patient can be discharged from home isolation “after at least 7 days have passed from testing positive and no fever for 3 successive days and they shall continue wearing masks”.
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