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Bengal govt asks medics not to return home daily amid Covid-19 outbreak
The order was issued after healthcare facilities in Bengal took a hit, as multiple patients who were being treated in general wards and some frontline medical staff who were treating those patients tested Covid-19 positive.
West Bengal government has asked frontline medical staff in state-run hospitals not to return home daily after work in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) among doctors and nurses.
Earlier, the state government had announced that doctors, nurses and other medical staff in government hospitals would get a one-week holiday every second week.
“On Sunday, the government issued an order urging frontline medical personnel in government hospitals to stay in their headquarters. They have been asked not to commute daily to their homes to prevent the spread of viral infection,” said a senior official of the health department.
The order was issued after healthcare facilities in Bengal took a hit, as multiple patients who were being treated in general wards and some frontline medical staff who were treating those patients tested Covid-19 positive.
Dozens of doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff in multiple state-run hospitals were asked to quarantine themselves after the incidents came to light.
Some frontline medical workers, especially from among those posted in government hospitals in districts in and around Kolkata, have been returning home daily after work.
“This is not desirable since it puts a daily physical and mental strain on the medical personnel. Besides, it also puts them at immense risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease,” he added.
The state government has made arrangements for accommodation for doctors and nurses in hotels and other places.
