Coronavirus - Central Team Turns Spotlight On COVID-19 Hospital, Centres In Kolkata

Coronavirus: The central team visited Howrah on Friday.

The central team sent to Kolkata to review West Bengal's response to the coronavirus pandemic visited Howrah, a hotspot district, and some key hospitals and markets in the area on Friday.

The team had visited a government quarantine centre at Rajarhat and then the nodal MR Bangur Hospital in South Kolkata on Thursday.

On the basis of that visit, the team leader Apurva Chandra, additional secretary defence, sent a two page letter to the chief secretary Rajiva Sinha with several observations and questions.

These involve a six-day wait for test results at some state quarantine centres in Kolkata, the admission process at the MR Bangur Hospital appears to be chaotic, the lack of ambulances for patients referred to Bangur by other hospitals, only 12 ventilator beds at the hospital which has 354 COVID-19 patients and bodies left in the ward for four hours awaiting death certificates.

The letter asks several other critical questions and has sought updates. For instance, testing details of people who flew into Kolkata from abroad before March 8.

If the number of tests are up to about 900 from about 400 per day, four days ago, the team wants to know how many of the patients were tested for the first time and how many took a repeat test.

The team has been told 1.25 to 2 lakh people are being screened daily by screening teams and has asked how many of them were tested and found positive for COVID-19.

"The state may soon need to test 2,500 to 5,000 samples a day. Is it preparing? How?" said one of the questions.

"How often and easily can health workers get themselves tested for COVID-19?" said another.

The state offers a Rs 10 lakh insurance to health workers. The centre Rs 50 lakh. The state government says that health workers can choose either option. The central team has asked for the state government order that says so.

The West Bengal Health Department said it would reply to the letter, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said, adding that the state government is like an "open book" and it does not need to pass examinations conducted by anyone except the people of the state.